It's Complicated
by Elizabeth Bartlett
Summary: Things are always interesting on Atlantis, but they become even more so when a blue call box suddenly appears and with it four strange travelers as well as the appearance of a old and deadly enemy.
1. Nice to meet you

A/N: Here's my long promised Doctor Who/Torchwood/Stargate Atlantis crossover. Follows 'That Kind of Day' and 'Best Laid Plans' so people might want to hop on over to and read those so you aren't that confused. I wish I owned Lorne, the Doctor, Jack, and all the others but sadly I don't; they belong to Cooper-Wright, RTD, MGM, and BBC (however I do own Max). Also Lydia belongs to BiteMeTechie and Crysta belongs to NenyaVilyaNenya. Finally, review's are love so please leave one.

Now that I've gotten all the standard stuff out of the way enjoy!

* * *

"Has anyone seen my keys?" Max called out as she rummaged though a drawer in the kitchen. 

Evan looked at Max while raising an eyebrow, "Are you sure you should be driving?"

Max and the kids had just arrived at their new place in Cardiff and things were in utter chaos. Boxes were everywhere; some open and half-unpacked while others were still waiting to have their taped seal broken.

"_Not_ the car keys." Max replied with a 'how dumb can you be' sigh as she closed the drawer she had been searching through and opened another one. "The apartment keys; I need to run out quick for some aspirin." She gave a short laugh as she pushed odds and ends out of the way, "You'd think that with everything we would've included it."

"Headache?"

"Yeah...the time change-" Max cut off when she pulled out a single key on a chain. "Hello," She murmured to herself, holding and looking at it. "I though I gave you back."

"What's that?" Evan asked, walking towards Max and looking at the key that she was holding.

His question snapped Max back to the present and she grasped the key in her hand while plastering on a smile, "Nothing, just an old key."

"What's it for?"

"Oh, nothing important." Max said, shoving it into her back pocket and resuming her search. Finding her original quarry she snatched them up and gave Evan a quick kiss, "I'll be back in a few."

"I have to leave soon." Evan replied, returning the kiss as well. "But it shouldn't be for long; Jack just wants me to go through some old stuff in the archives."

"Sounds thrilling." Walking out into the hallway she paused, pulling out the key from her pocket while looking at it in her hand. She didn't know exactly what Evan did at Torchwood but didn't press because there were things that needed to be hid.

After all everyone had their own little secrets to keep.

* * *

"This reminds me of Atlantis." Anglia remarked as the entire family, minus Evan, walked down the sidewalk towards Roald Dahl Plass. It was night and Max had been stuck inside all day so she had to get out or she would've gone stir-crazy as a result. That and she knew Anglia and Devon, even Miranda, were restless as well; they still hadn't adjusted to being on land so much and surrounded by people that they didn't know. 

"How so Ang?" Max asked, although she knew how it exactly did. Sometimes when she was by the bay she could pretend that she was back on the city during happier times.

"The breezes, the smell of the water, stuff like that." Anglia commented, looking around. "Sometimes if I'm down by the bay and I close my eyes I can imagine that I'm back there."

"Really?" Devon asked, looking at his sister. "So can I sometimes." Looking at Max he asked, "What about you mom?"

"Yeah," Max softly smiled. "me too."

"Do you miss it?" Anglia asked as they reached the Plass.

Max stopped and looked at the water sculpture in front of the Millennium Centre and thought about the question. "I'm not sure." She replied after a minute of silence.

"Do I miss 'lantis, mommy?" Miranda asked, looking up at Max.

Max smiled as she looked down at Miranda. "I dunno, do you?"

"I guess so...don't really 'member it."

Anglia laughed at the comment, "Well, you'll have to remember it first to miss it."

"Hush, Anglia." Max gently chided. After glancing at her watch she sighed, "It's getting late, we should get back."

They had only gone a few steps when Max heard someone call out her name. Stopping and turning around, she saw that it was Evan with a group of people.

"Daddy!" Miranda exclaimed, running towards him.

"Hey there Munchkin." Evan said, picking Miranda up and swinging her up. "How you doin'?" he asked as she laughed and he set her down.

"Missed you." She stated, hugging his waist.

Evan smiled and ruffled her copper colored hair. "I missed you too." He took Miranda's hand and walked over to where Max and everyone else was.

"Where'd you come from? I didn't see you there a second ago." Max asked, kissing Evan in greeting.

"It's complicated." Evan replied after returning the kiss. Jack had called it a night, saying that after the two-day stint they pulled everyone needed a break. He had to agree with that; they had started sniping at each other and no amount of coffee could cure that.

They decided to use the hidden lift and arriving topside had found Max and everyone in front of them. Since they couldn't just step out, it would startle everyone and raise too many questions that didn't need to be raised, they had to wait until his family had turned around.

"Oh." Max said, not pushing further but really wanting to. Obviously it was some kind of alien technology that let whoever use it become invisible but what kind she didn't know. Maybe it was Ancient, maybe not, but if that was the case then it might backfire when they least expect it.

"Something wrong?" Evan asked, seeing the worried look that appeared on Max's face after hedging around the perception field.

"Nothing." She replied as she looked past Evan towards his team. Putting on a smile she asked, "You going to introduce me?"

"Hmm? Oh sorry." Evan apologized, turning towards Jack and everyone else who were hanging back. "Max this is-"

"Captain Jack Harkness." Jack said, flashing Max a grin and sticking out his hand.

"Ease off Jack, she's already taken." Evan said with a grin, knowing that the man couldn't help but flirt with everyone (and sometimes everything) he met.

"So? That only means more fun where I come from." Jack replied, not taking his eyes off of Max. "Lorne, why didn't you tell me that you have such a beautiful wife?"

Max blushed at the comment and laughed, "It's nice to meet you Captain Harkness."

"Please call me Jack. And who are these?" Jack asked, kneeling down in front of the stroller.

"That's David and Jack." Max replied smiling, leaning down to check on the twins and seeing that they were starting to fall asleep.

"Would it be too much for me to think you named him after a certain handsome devil that you happen to know?"

"Yes it would be." Evan replied as Max laughed again. Realizing that he still needed to introduce the rest of the crew he said, "And this is Tosh, Owen, and Ianto. Guys this is Max and my family."

"Hey." Max replied giving everyone a wave and smile.

Tosh was the only one who returned the greeting with the same enthusiasm, even then Max caught the vibe that it was forced, while Owen looked like he'd rather be somewhere else, and Ianto gave her a tight smile and slight nod. She got the feeling that they didn't deal with their teammates families all that often and it was awkward for them.

"So we still going for drinks?" Owen called out, bouncing on his heels as Tosh shot him a look. He returned the glare, wondering what he had done _this_ time to earn her ire. "If so we should get going, the pub might be packed if we wait too long."

Max looked at Evan with confusion, "You're going out?"

"Yeah, it's been a long couple of days and we were going to unwind-I was going to call you."

Max knew that he was still trying to find his niche within Torchwood and also knew that it was important for him to bond with everyone and all that male-testosterone stuff. Forcing a smile she gave him a kiss on the cheek, "That's fine, I'll see you later."

"You sure?"

"Yeah...just don't stay out too late."

"I'll see you later then." Evan said giving Max one more kiss, Miranda a hug, and the twins a smile each. He then walked away from them, rejoining Jack and everyone else.

"You're not leaving with them?" Jack asked as he watched the Colonel's family walk off.

"Nah, Max said I should go with you guys." Evan said. "So where are we going?"

Jack looked at the retreating figure of Evan's wife. He'd seen that look before; the way she stood up straighter and avoided eye contact. "Why don't you go home?" he said, nodding his head towards Max.

"Thought we were going out for drinks."

"We are, but you're not. Go home and spend some time with your family." Evan just stared at Jack, confused. "Do I have to make that an order, _Colonel_?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well it wouldn't be one since you don't outrank me, _Captain_." Evan said breaking into a grin.

"I'll see you tomorrow Lorne." Jack replied with a finality that said that there wasn't any room for protest.

"See you later, then." Evan nodded and jogged off to catch up to everyone.

Jack watched him go and knew that he had done the right thing. Gwen had pushed her relationship with Rhys past the breaking point and they had split up just after she started her third year with Torchwood.

She had started to slip into that place where Jack had tried so hard for her not to go and when the arrangement for the exchange came up he knew that it would be good for her (and everyone else) if Gwen got a change of scenery.

Jack didn't want the same thing to happen to Evan; he had much more to lose than Gwen.

He still didn't know how Evan knew him, he'd never run into the Colonel during his time on Earth (past or present) and whenever he pressed Lorne would quickly change the subject or clam up and refuse to reveal even the tiniest detail.

Jack assumed that it was only a matter of time until whatever that was supposed to happen to make him meet Lorne before now would occur and then he'd get his answers.


	2. Appearances can be deceiving

A/N: see chapter one for the disclaimers, review please!

Max was happy; a good day had just gotten better. Jack had given Evan the morning off and he helped out with some of the chores on her list of things to do so she got done faster than expected and ended up with time on her hands. With the twins at a play-date and everyone else still in school until later she actually had time to herself for once; one afternoon where she wasn't dealing anything relating to parenthood.

The day had gotten better because Max had talked with Lydia who had told her that she and Crysta were thinking about coming over for a visit. They had extra vacation time they needed to use up and decided what better way to use it then to see their friend whom they haven't seen in months?

Max was excited to hear the news, she missed them almost as much as they missed her, but needed to see if Evan could wrestle some time away from Torchwood; the way she figured it is that Lydia, Crysta, Evan, and herself could all meet up in Cardiff and then head over to London or somewhere while leaving Anglia and Devon in charge of the kids (of course they wouldn't be truely alone…they had gotten to know their neighbors so Max would ask them to check on them daily).

But before they could make plans, she needed to talk to Evan about it and see if he was willing to take a break from work. Max knew that he needed it, sometimes he got back after she fell asleep and was gone before she woke up, and that he pushed himself; not to please Jack but because that's how he was used to doing things.

Making her way across the Plass she couldn't help but smile; they had been in Cardiff for a number of months now and she was starting to actually enjoy it (despite the constant rain). Today the sun was shining and combined with the prospect of Lydia and Crysta visiting Max felt like nothing could go wrong.

Digging through her purse she looked for the address of where Torchwood was. Pulling out the card with the hexagonal shapes forming a 'T' she glanced at it before heading down the street. Evan had given it to her, telling her that if it was an emergency she should go there with the kids, and while this wasn't exactly one Max thought that she could surprise Evan and tell him of the tentative plans being made.

* * *

Max looked at the building in front of her with confusion. It matched the address on the card but instead of an office building there was a tourist office. Wondering what was going on, she looked at the address on the card then at the numbers on the building. 

Neither was wrong.

"_Maybe it's some kind of printing mix-up and they haven't fixed it yet._" Max thought as she moved towards the door. Whatever the case was someone inside could straighten everything out.

As she neared, Max saw the sign on the door read 'closed' and wondered why a tourist shop would be closed during the middle of the day (although they could have been out to lunch, but if that was the case then Max thought that at least one person would've stayed back to man the phones in case a-you know-_tourist_ called or stopped by).

Since it was obviously indicated that the shop was closed, she knew that it would be useless to try the door but decided to give it a go on the off chance that someone was actually there and they had just forgotten to change the sign. Testing the knob she was slightly surprised to find it turning.

"_Maybe someone's here after all._" Max told herself as she pushed the door open and heard the bell chime overhead.

"Hello?" Max called out after closing the door and moving towards the desk. Silence greeted her and she couldn't help but wonder where everyone could be; there were only so many places you could be in a building this size. Leaning over the desk, she tried to get a view of the back to see if anyone was there and called out again.

After five minutes of no one showing up, Max sighed; obviously this was some kind of mix-up on Evan's part and she was going to let him know when he got home. Turning to leave she spotted another door standing ajar. Naturally she wondered where it led to and paused; maybe it was some kind of storage area and everyone was back there. She could pop in there to find out and maybe get everything straightened out.

After one last quick look around, Max opened the door the rest of the way, stepped through, and instead of boxes filled with tourist paraphernalia she was greeted with a short hallway with what looked to be elevator doors at the end. Steps echoing loudly as she walked down the hallway she called out, "Anyone here?"

When no one answered her, Max stepped towards the elevator and jumped slightly when the doors slid open. She stared at the empty box for a few minutes, wondering what was going on exactly; something about all this seemed a bit off.

Not knowing exactly why, maybe it was to find someone and get all this straightened out or to satisfy her curiosity or something completely different, Max took a deep breath and stepped into the elevator. As soon as she entered the door slid shut and she felt it begin to descend.

After what seemed to be hours the elevator slowed to a stop and the door opened to reveal another hallway. Raising an eyebrow Max thought, "_How many hallways in this place are there?_"

Stepping out she moved forwards while wondering if she should just go back up (how ever far that was), forget finding Evan, and wait until he got home to tell him about Lydia and Crysta. "Hello?" she called out once again, her voice carrying across the empty hallway while also betraying her anxiety.

She was greeted with silence but still kept on moving down the hallway. As she neared the end, a large circular door sprang to life rolling back to reveal a larger area. Hesitating slightly, Max wondered if she shouldn't be here. "_If that's the case then I'm sure whoever's here would've set up better defenses._" She reasoned to herself as she stepped through the door and entered a large cavern filled with walkways leading to other areas and stairs to an office surrounded by Plexiglass. There were desks with computers and even a workbench.

Whoever was here did something that required secrecy….or at least anonymity.

"Anyone there?" Max asked out loud, stepping farther into the cavern. After her voice faded there was silence and then a shriek causing Max to jump. Looking up her eyes went wide as she saw a large bird, which looked like a dinosaur…but that was impossible; they had died off _long_ before now, overhead.

Max was so surprised by the large bird-like creature that she didn't hear the footsteps behind her. However she did hear the hammer of a gun being pulled back and then a distinct Welsh voice saying, "Don't move."


	3. Revelations

A/N: see chapter one for the disclaimer and please Review (I know you're reading this).

Tensing up, Max tried not to give into the urge to run as her heart pounded inside of her chest. Just as she was about to offer up that this was all a mistake; she hadn't meant to wander in, the door had been open and she had just been trying to find someone, there was shouting and yelling. Wanting to see what the commotion was about she started to turn around but the person behind her said, "I said don't move."

Max froze and closed her eyes. Of all the ways to die this wasn't on her top ten list, hell it wasn't on her top one_ hundred_.

"'Yan we could use some of that gorgeous muscle, we got a live one here."

"Yes sir."

Max heard the American accent and knew that it sounded familiar but couldn't place it. The sound of scuffling drew near and as it did her captor took hold of her arm and gently, but firmly, pushed her towards a seat. "We'll deal with you later." He said taking out a pair of handcuffs and chaining her to the arm of the chair.

* * *

Ianto hadn't been happy coming out of the archives to see someone standing in the middle of the Hub. But finding out how she got down here (he could've _sworn_ he locked up before coming down here) got pushed aside when Jack and everyone else showed up with the Weevil they had been hunting. 

"We've got a problem sir." Ianto said as he took over for Evan who was sporting a nasty cut on his cheek.

"What we run out of coffee again?" Owen sneered as they pulled/pushed the Weevil towards the holding cells. "I think that can wait."

"Harper." Jack said in a warning tone and then turning his gaze towards Ianto saw the worry in his eyes. "What is it?"

"We've had a slight breach in security."

"How slight?" Jack asked slowly, knowing that it couldn't of been slight if Ianto hadn't been able to handle it.

Ianto shifted slightly, knowing that he was going to catch hell for this. "She made it all the way down here."

"You're kidding me!" Owen exclaimed, jockeying slightly as they shoved the Weevil into the cell and closed the door. "What did you do, forget to lock the door?"

Jack took one look at Ianto and could see that was what happened exactly. "How much did she see?"

"Not sure," Ianto replied as they started to make their way back to the main part of the Hub. "I was in archives most of the time and arrived to see Myfanwy give her a start. I thought I had locked up the shop after you left, guess I should've double checked."

"Don't sweat it. We'll just find out who she is, give her some Retcon, and send her on her merry way." Jack replied, as they climbed up the steps. Turning to Owen he said, "Make sure that it's not as strong as last time, we don't want a repeat of the Ministers wife. And take a look at Lorne."

"I'm fine, looks worse than it actually is." Evan protested as Jack started to walk away. He wanted to see who had wondered into the Hub and how Retcon exactly worked. Jack had explained to him what Retcon was but had never seen it put into practice.

"Don't care." Jack called back, not pausing.

* * *

Max watched her captor walk away and sighed, her good day had suddenly taken a sharp turn downhill. But she was still determined that it could be salvaged; just explain that she hadn't meant to wander down and that she wouldn't breath a word about what she had seen. She was _really_ good at keeping secrets. 

She tried to get a look at what was going on, but the computer banks and other obstacles blocked her view. The commotion faded after a few seconds and Max was now left alone handcuffed to a chair.

Letting out a slow breath she looked around, trying to glean clues from her surroundings to figure out where she was. There wasn't much; just everything she had seen when she first walked in with no symbols or anything to tell her who was running whatever this was.

"I have to admit we get beautiful women down here a lot less then I'd like."

"Jack," Max said, turning around at the sound of the voice and seeing who it belonged to. "what are you doing here?"

Jack was slightly surprised to see that Max was the women Ianto had found in the Hub. "I could ask the same about you." He replied, pulling a chair over so he could sit down. "How'd you get here?"

"There was no one upstairs and the door was open."

"How'd you get the address?"

"Evan gave it to me." Max looked at Jack strangely, nothing about this seemed right. "What's going on here?"

Jack sighed while looking at Max while thinking, "_I'm gonna need a bigger dose of Retcon then I thought and talk to Lorne about giving out our address._"

Evan walked towards his desk wondering if he was going to have to work late again and rounding the corner saw Max sitting next to Jack asking what all this was. "Max?" he asked raising an eyebrow. Staring he wondered if he'd gotten a blow to the head as well because there was no way possible that she could've been down here.

Max looked over when she heard Evan speak and stared back equally surprised. "Why are you here?" she asked, leaning back in the chair.

"I work here." Lorne said, moving closer towards them. "Why are _you_ here?"

"Thought I'd surprise you..." she trailed off looking at Evan. "what's all this?"

"This is Torchwood." Jack said, waiting for her reaction.

Max looked back and forth between Jack and Evan, letting everything process. "Torchwood." She said slowly, looking around. "Somehow I'd thought it'd be...above ground."

Jack smirked in amusement at her last statement and was slightly surprised at how well she was handling this. He wondered if Evan had somehow let Torchwood slip before coming here. If he had, she was good about keeping her mouth shut. Then again she had been on Atlantis so it wasn't like keeping a top secret government project was anything new.

Standing he said, "I'll go get the key to those handcuffs."

Max waited until Jack was out of an earshot before hissing, "What the _hell_ is going on here Evan?"

"What do you mean?" Evan asked wondering where the freak-out was suddenly coming from; she had been fine about all of this a few seconds ago while Jack was talking.

"Let me rephrase; why is a tourist agency above us and what the _hell_ is Torchwood doing underground?"

"It's complicated."

Max looked at Evan and raised an eyebrow, "Try me."

"Well," He started while running a hand through his hair. "Cardiff sits on a Rift in time and space so all sorts of stuff comes through it. Torchwood collects what comes through and uses what isn't dangerous. The agency is a front, keeps people from wondering what we really do, although I'm not sure everyone buys it." As he'd been talking Evan noticed that Max had relaxed and was glad that she was done freaking out.

"Is that all, a Rift? The Doctor told-" Max cut off sharply when she realized what she had been saying and mentally cringed at the slip.

"Told you what?" Evan asked, picking up on her sudden hesitation. "Who told you about Rifts?"

"Uh…I think I overheard Carter or McKay or someone on Atlantis talking about them." Max scrambled; trying to think quickly and stay one step ahead, "I forget exactly who…it was a long time ago." She finished flashing Evan a nervous smile.

"They did, huh." Evan replied skeptically. He got the feeling that Max wasn't telling the entire truth but couldn't tell what was a lie and what wasn't.

"They did." Max reiterated while seeing the doubt on his face. She hated having to lie to him but it was necessary, given the circumstances. But before she could dig the hole any deeper Jack appeared.

"Took a few, but I found the keys." Jack said, walking towards the couple with a smile on his face. After taking a look at both of them the smile faded and he stopped a few feet from them. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No."

"Yes."

Jack wondered what that was all about but chose not to push. There were some things that even _he_ didn't want to get involved in and domestic spats were one of them; they never ended pretty (excluding the make-up sex). Tossing the keys to Evan, who caught them rather deftly, he said, "Keep 'em. You'll get more use out of them then I will."

Evan laughed while Max blushed at the comment. "Does he always say stuff like that?" she asked as he unlocked the cuffs.

"Pretty much. You get used to it after awhile."

Max stood and rubbed her wrist, while hearing another shriek. Looking up, she to saw the bird-like creature again. "What is that?" she asked as it disappeared once more.

"That's a pterodactyl; name's Myfanwy."

"Oh." Max replied calmly, wondering how much stranger the day could get. "See you on a few hours?"

Before Evan could say that he didn't know when he'd be able to leave, Jack called out, "Lorne, take your beautiful wife home and the rest of the day off."

Evan looked at Jack slightly surprised, he never let them off early, "Really?"

"Why not? It's been slow, other than the We-our guest. No sense in having you hang around waiting for nothing."

"See you tomorrow then." Evan replied, taking Max's hand and walking with her out into the hallway.

Jack watched them leave and was glad that the whole reveal of Torchwood had gone rather smoothly; as opposed to all the other times when things had gone rather bumpy and others that had been downright nasty.

However there was something else about Max that Jack couldn't put a finger on, something that made him hesitant about using Retcon on her. Deciding to do a little investigating he walked up the steps towards his office while calling out, "Tosh, pull up everything you can find on Max Lorne."

He decided to put off the Retcon for now; let him get all the facts about Max before acting.

But he'd still have to drug her.


	4. The Meeting and the Offer

Max walked into the bar a full ten minutes early and was surprised to see Jack already there. Not sure how to take that, she nervously made her way towards him and took a seat on the other side of the table.

Jack sat down with a glass in each hand and glanced up to see Max heading his way while putting on his most charming smile. As she sat down he caught a glance of her necklace; a rectangular pendant with writing on it. "Nice necklace," he said pushing one of the glasses towards her. "where'd you get it?"

Max automatically placed a hand on the pendant and fidgeted with it, "Don't really remember. I, uh, got it a long time ago."

"Uhuh." Leaning closer so she could hear him over the normal noise of the bar he asked, "Aren't you wondering why I wanted to have a drink with you?"

"I-uh-assumed that it had to do with this afternoon."

Jack gave a short laugh at the comment and looked her in the eyes, "Maybe I just wanted to get you away from Lorne."

Max felt her cheeks heat up at the comment, suddenly becoming flustered, and tore her gaze away from him while stuttering out, "Uh…I'm-uh-_flattered_ and all…but, um…"

Jack could see that he might have taken the flirting a bit too far (even for him) and leaned back while giving her a soft smile, "Don't worry, I just wanted to get to know you better."

To say that she was relieved would be an understatement, while Evan had warned her about Jack she hadn't expected he would be _that_ flirtatious with her. Still slightly flustered, she opted for an embarrassed smile and taking a rather long drink from her glass.

After a second or so of silence Jack spoke up, "So why did you leave?"

"Atlantis?" Max asked wondering why he would ask her something like that. "I thought that Evan would've told you-"

"No I mean with the Doctor."

"_Crap._" Max thought while scrambling; how had he known? "Who?" she asked, trying to pass off confusion and that she was perfectly calm while inside her heat was beating a mile a minute.

"The Doctor." Jack replied, leveling his gaze at her and seeing that he had clearly rattled her. Just how long had she lived keeping it a secret? And better yet how is it that no one else at the SGC, including Lorne, noticed?

"Don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do." Jack commented, sitting up and leaning closer towards her again but this time there was no hint of flirtation. "I had Tosh pull up your records and there's a two year gap before Atlantis. No credit charges, bank deposits, tax payments, or salary payouts; it's like you disappeared off the face of the Earth. Then you suddenly pop up again and carry on like nothing ever happened."

Max knew that she had been caught; the only surprise she felt was that it hadn't happened sooner. But she still had the chance to deny it. Trying to calm herself down she stared back at Jack before replying, "I could've been to Atlantis before my record says so."

"But how do you explain this?" Jack asked, pulling out a photo from his coat pocket and sliding it towards her. They had stumbled across it by accident, while Tosh was looking up everything, and at first he thought it was a family member; her mother perhaps or a close relative but when he compared the photo with a second, completely different one the resemblance was exact.

That's when he started to put the puzzle pieces together.

Max glanced at it and swallowed thickly; how had that photo of her at the Berlin Wall survived? She thought that Jon had gotten rid of all the copies. Still trying to feign innocence she forced a smile while looking at Jack and saying, "We're part German and I still have family there. Could be a relative."

"Who looks exactly like you?"

"You'd be surprised how much I look like my mom's side of the family."

"Uhuh." Jack replied, not convinced but had to silently applaud Max for trying to hold her own. "There's also your necklace."

"What about it? I told you that I don't remember where I got it."

"I know. But how many people, excluding me, on this planet have been to Rapticon?"

"It's not from Rapticon; it's from Ill…usia." Max said before thinking and paused when she realized she had just given herself away. Seeing the smirk on Jack's face she raised an eyebrow, "But you already knew that didn't you?"

Jack just gave Max a smile to convey his answer. After taking a look at her records he had guessed that she had been a Companion but hadn't been sure until he had seen the necklace. Plus after Tosh had left he had done some more digging and found that after reappearing she had quit her job at a very posh private school and traveled to South America with PBI.

After leaving former Companions always tried to help better the world anyway they could and always had a skewed view of the world with it showing in their eyes; Martha had it and Jack knew that from time to time he did as well.

"So how'd you figure it out?"

"Your records, the picture, and the necklace clued me in. Plus it helped that you still have your TARDIS key." Jack said while casually pulling out the chain and dangling it in front of her.

"How'd you-we never-that was in my back pocket." Max stammered out.

"You'd be surprised at what these hands can do." Jack set the key down and they both stared at it, silent. Glancing up from the table he asked, "Did you like it?"

"Sorry?"

"Traveling with him, how'd you like it?"

Max smiled and Jack noticed a spark appearing in her eyes. Smiling to himself he recognized the look, everyone who had gone with him got the same look when remembering past adventures. "It was _amazing_." Max breathed, recalling buried memories. "I got to see different worlds as well as the past and future, although we stayed more in the future than past, aside from the time we were in Berlin. That might of had to do with a run in with Mary Stuart we had after I joined him."

"Mary Stuart? What was she like?"

"Nothing like they say in the history books; she was a complete bitch and her damned dog tried to bite me, but it was absolutely wonderful." Max said, a smile appearing as she recalled the trip. "We ran into all these different aliens…some were stranger than others but no matter if they were trying to kill us or help us it was exciting just to see them. And there were these things called Darlek's that-"

"I know." Jack cut Max off sharply, his smile instantly fading. No matter how much time has passed since the Game Station, it still pained him to hear that name and he hoped that he'd never run into those thrice-damned things again.

Now that he knew that she had enjoyed traveling with the Doctor as much as he had there was one question that was burning in his mind, "Why'd you stop traveling with him?"

Max's smile faltered and glanced away from Jack as she said, "I wanted a normal life again."

"Like hell you did." Jack replied, not buying the excuse for a minute. "Why'd you really stop traveling with him? From what you just told me it seemed like you could keep being his Companion forever."

This time Max's smile disappeared and her eyes hardened. "Like I said; I wanted a normal life again."

Jack tilted his head to the side considering his next move; it didn't feel right giving her Retcon but at the same time he couldn't let her go without some kind assurance that she wouldn't go talking about Torchwood (he didn't think that would happen but he had been wrong about Suzie) and that left him with two options.

* * *

Evan heard the door open, close, and looked up to see Max taking off her coat. Getting up he asked, "How'd it go?" 

"…pretty good. He bought me a drink and then we talked." She replied, putting her coat on the rack.

Evan knitted his eyebrows together with worry; Max seemed a bit distracted and wondered if the Retcon was working. He hated the fact that Jack had to dose her with it, hoping that he could talk to her about everything that went on at the Hub, but knew he had little say in the matter when it came to keeping Torchwood's secret. "What'd you talk about?"

"Oh…this and that. He offered me a job."

Evan was taken aback by the sudden pronouncement that had literally come out of no where. "I'm sorry?" he asked knowing that he looked stunned.

Max looked at Evan and almost laughed at his surprised look if it had been a comical situation but at the moment it wasn't. "Jack offered me a job at Torchwood." She said, moving past him towards the couch to sit down.

Scratching his head he followed her; she should've gotten Retcon, to forget everything that had happened today, not a _job_. "Why?"

"Not sure…he said something about saving me from 'death by domestic'." Max gave a forced laugh, as the joke fell flat. "I start next week."

"Whoa, hold on. I didn't say you could." Evan protested, sitting down and looking at his wife.

Max raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me? I didn't know I needed your permission to get a job offer."

"You don't…it's just really dangerous. We don't just go after alien tech; there are these things called Weevils that we hunt down when they come up here. You see this?" he pointed to his cut which had required stitches after all. "I got this from one today and it wasn't completely riled up. I won't put you in that kind of situation."

"Oh so you can go off but I have to stay home?" Max shot back, getting up and moving away from Evan. "I won't be in danger. I'll just be looking after the tourist shop and other odds and ends until the kids get out of school."

"That's what Ianto's for, and while I have to admit that he knows more than just how to make the coffee and order food I just don't see why he needs you." Evan was thinking out loud now, while pacing. "Obviously Jack didn't use Retcon on you and why should he? You've kept Atlantis a secret all this time so it's not like you'd go and tell the papers…like they'd believe you anyways. So why'd he give you a job?"

Max just gave him a small smile while saying, "He has his own reasons…you'll have ask him."

* * *

"Can we talk?" 

Jack looked up to see Evan standing in the doorway to his office. It was the morning after he had offered Max the job and had been waiting for Lorne. "Sure," he replied, setting down his pen and leaning back in his chair. "just as long as you don't break up with me."

Even though he didn't want to, Evan couldn't help but smile. However the expression was quick to fade and he asked, "Why didn't you Retcon her?"

Jack was silent, looking at the (very much) younger man while wondering how much he knew about Max. Obviously she wouldn't have told Lorne about the Doctor and her travels with him; even with having been on Atlantis, a city that as far as everyone else knew was just myth, Evan might have trouble believing everything about the Time Lords and their technology. "Do you trust her?"

"Of course I do, why?" Evan asked, slightly confused as to why Jack was asking him that. Despite their problems over the years they still trusted each other, so he knew that whatever he told Max would stay with her.

"Then why are you against her taking the job?"

"Because it's too dangerous-"

"That doesn't stop you from doing it." Jack interrupted, leaning forward. "She'll only be running the shop topside with the odd filing in the archives every now and then, nowhere near the Weevils or secure lock-up. Ianto's been on my back to get some extra help; there's only so much that man can do no matter how good at it he is."

Seeing that Evan still wasn't happy about Max working for Torchwood he continued, "How about I make you a deal? Let her try it for awhile and if you still think that it's too dangerous then I'll Retcon her." He looked at Lorne while raising an eyebrow. "That sound fair to you?"

Evan was silent for a few seconds thinking about Jack's proposition. Slowly nodding his head he said, "Three months and not a word about this to her understand?"

"Not a peep."

A/N: I know that nothing real exciting has happened yet, but I promise it picks up once they reach Atlantis. PBI stands for 'Peace Brigades International' and they send volunteers to areas of conflict, providing protective accompaniment to human rights defenders threatened by political violence (you can look them up if you want to know more). See chapter one for all disclaimers and Review please (cookies to those who do)!


	5. Old Friends

A/N: slight spoiler for 'Utopia' (you have been warned) and see chapter one for the disclaimer.

Max set the phone down and smiled to herself; they didn't get much business but when they did she had to pretend to work for an actual tourist agency. It wasn't hard; most inquires were about the Castle or what was playing at the Millennium Centre and occasionally they got walk-ins, only if they were really lost though. But she didn't mind the solitude of her hours; it was a welcome change from the chaos at the apartment.

Her job was simple enough; make sure the office and backroom looked like someone actually ran a business from there and file what paperwork Ianto didn't do. He still did the bulk of the Torchwood duties, which didn't bother Max although she wondered why Jack had said he needed the help because it looked to her like Ianto had everything running smoothly long before she joined them. However she found herself going on most of the take-out runs because for some odd reason the places in the area refused to deliver to them anymore.

Even though Ianto had been slightly chilly towards her when she first started Max thought that he was beginning to warm up to her because when she refilled the coffee pot the other week he gave her a slight smile, as he started doing when she thanked him or caught his eye while doing the odd jobs that no one else seemed to do.

A couple of times she noticed Ianto at a computer terminal with Tosh and from the glimpses she got saw that they were working on something beyond her comprehension and that only made her wonder what he had done to end up cleaning up after everyone else.

Max reached for her back pocket and pulled out the key; which she had started carrying around since finding it and on occasion found herself staring at it. She held the chain in her hand while softly humming; there were times where she wondered what her life would be like if she had stayed with the Doctor and continued traveling with him.

"What song is that?"

Startled, Max looked up to see Ianto coming towards her from the hidden door. "S-sorry?"

"You've been humming that same song for awhile." Ianto replied, walking behind Max and towards the small office.

"I have?" Max asked, feeling her face start to heat up with embarrassment. "Sorry 'bout that."

"No problem. Just wondering what the name of it was."

"_Starlight_ by Muse." She replied, a small smile appearing. "Reminds me of an old friend."

"Anyone I know?"

"Don't think so." Max moved to put it back into her pocket when she noticed something strange. Pausing she opened her hand to see that the key was glowing.

Eyes going wide, she realized that could only mean one thing.

Standing up so quickly that the stool tipped over, she only paused long enough to grab her purse and then ran towards the door; yanking it open and running out towards the Plass.

* * *

Jack was finishing up some paperwork when he glanced up and caught a look at the CC of the Plass. 

Right over them was a blue box.

Jumping up, he grabbed his coat and ran towards the exit. Speeding up the steps towards the surface he wondered why the Doctor would show up after all these years. Maybe it was just a refueling stop or there was something going on here (if that was true then Jack wanted to know _why_ his team hadn't picked up on it).

Whatever the reason Jack felt like he needed to see the Doctor; this time it wasn't to figure out why he couldn't die, but something else. Maybe it was to break up the monotony or just to see him again, but whatever the reason Jack needed to see the inside of the familiar blue box.

He burst through the door and saw Ianto about to close the one leading outside. Jack sped past his friend and down the dock, knowing that everyone would be right pissed at him.

* * *

Ianto looked up when he heard a clatter and caught a glimpse of Max running out the door. Wondering what was going on, he took a quick look to see if anything was out of the ordinary but couldn't spot anything. Chalking it up to her getting a sudden call on her headset, Ianto moved to close the door when all of a sudden Jack appeared and ran outside; not even giving him a second glance. 

Ianto watched Jack go and was at a loss as to why both of them were running like they had just seen the Devil.

* * *

Max ran through the Plass towards the water sculpture and slowed to a stop in front of the familiar blue box. Standing in front of it she stared, wondering if she was just daydreaming but a covert pinch told her otherwise. 

With a shaking hand she inserted the key into the lock while holding her breath as she turned it. As the lock gave she sighed with relief and pushed the door open. Smiling Max walked inside and giggled as she'd forgotten how bigger it was on the inside.

Heels clanging on the metal ramp, she walked further inside looking around. Hearing a voice, asking who she was, Max jumped slightly while looking around to see who was there.

Seeing no one it took her a minute to realize that it was just the TARDIS; she had forgotten that it could get inside your head. Laughing she said, "It's Max, remember?"

She was rewarded with an image of herself (albeit a much younger version of herself) and the Doctor as they laughed together. "Yup, that's me."

Before she could go any further Max heard the door open and saw Jack come walking in.

"I should've known I'd find you here." Jack said, seeing Max at the control panel.

"What are you doing here?" Max asked, moving towards Jack.

"Saw it on CC and had to see it in person. What about you?"

"Same thing 'cept my key started glowing." Max let her eyes travel around the room and exclaimed, "God it's been _years_ since I've been in here and it hasn't changed a bit. I wonder if my room's still set up."

"Let's go see." Jack replied, grabbing hold of Max's hand and pulling her towards the doorway. "You still remember the way?"

"Wait what if he comes?" Max protested, trying to slow down. "If we go looking he won't know that we're here."

"Yes he will, the TARDIS'll tell him. We can see him, catch up, maybe save the world, and then he'll be on his merry way with whatever new bimbo he's got with him."

"Bimbo? I thought that whoever didn't freak out over all the crazy crap that happens whenever he's around goes with him."

"There's an exception to every rule, trust me." Jack flashed Max a smile. "So you want to find your room or not?"

Max hesitated, not sure if she should or not. Why not? Who knows the next time she'd get the chance would present itself. Grinning she said, "Sure, I might ever remember the way."

* * *

"Where too this time?" The Doctor asked Martha as they strolled across the Plass. It was a nice day; the sun was shining, there was hardly a cloud in the sky and the wind was blowing just enough to ruffle people's hair and jacket's. "One push of a button and we're off, your pick." 

"Really?"

"Why not? After all you just got a new job." He replied as they neared the TARDIS. "Why wouldn't I want to celebrate that with a trip?"

"You always want to celebrate with a trip." Martha replied, smiling. "You'll really take me to wherever I want to go?"

"Yup."

"Then how about somewhere with a beach? After that last planet I'm ready for something relaxing."

"Oh come on...it was fun-"

"_You_ weren't the one dangling over an open volcano. I've had enough of life and death situations for quite awhile." Martha replied as she opened the door to the TARDIS and stepped in.

"Fine but I don't see why we can't just pop on by Carrion-" The Doctor started to say but Martha cut him off.

"No." she said, laughing. "I want a planet with a beach as far as the eye can see."

"Right then." The Doctor replied, running a hand through his hair. "What about you Max," he said turning towards the door. "want to come?"

* * *

A/N: Look up the lyrics for 'Starlight' and tell me that it doesn't remind you of the Doctor. Review please (the offer of cookies if you leave one still stands)! 


	6. The Proposition

A/N: see chapter one for disclaimers; also slight spoilers for seasons one and two of Torchwood and seasons one through three of Who. Review please!

"I can't believe that it was still here." Max said as they walked down the hallway away from her old room and towards the engine room.

Jack quirked an eyebrow and looked at the former companion. "You didn't think that some other companion would've taken over your room?"

"Not that," Max replied, shaking her head. "I didn't expect to find _this_." She held up the T-shirt and continued, "I looked for _months_, hoping that it got misplaced…but it was here all this time."

"It's just a shirt." Jack stated, raising an eyebrow.

"But it's a _Ramones_ shirt." Max commented as she all but shoved it Jack's face. "Do you know how much trouble I had getting it?"

Jack smiled at her reaction and paused when the sound of voices drifted towards them. Stopping Max and Jack looked at each other and stood still for a moment, listening to the voices. Catching a clear sentence, they smiled at each other before breaking into a run towards the engine room.

Max was the first one to reach the door and stopped short; the man in front of her wasn't the Doctor and she had no idea who the girl was. Her first thought was that it was another Time Lord but that was followed closely with remembering that he was the last of his kind and if it wasn't him then how had the TARDIS remembered her? Also if it had been another one then she or Jack wouldn't of been able to get inside.

Knowing that she was staring at both of them like a deer caught in the headlights, she tried to think of something to say if only to get rid of the heavy silence that surrounded them.

But before she could speak or do anything Jack caught up to her and looked into the Control Room. Breaking into a grin he moved past Max while exclaiming, "What are you doing here? I though you decided to become a real Doctor."

Martha laughed and hugged Jack in greeting, "I could ask you the same thing and I am. I just landed a new job last week."

"That's great, although I still think you should've stayed with us. Owen's still smarting over the fact that you figured out that one chemical before him." Jack said, returning Martha's hug.

"I bet he is."

They finished embracing each other and Jack turned to the Doctor with a grin. "Doctor," he said moving towards the Time Lord. "it's been awhile."

"Yes it has." The Doctor replied while returning the smile. "Although it's been longer for you than for me."

"No doubt about it."

Max watched Jack, Martha, and the Doctor (how could that be possible? He had an entirely new_ head_) greet each other and felt like the interloper. While Jack hadn't told her everything about his travels with the Doctor she had gleaned enough from what he _had_ said that they had been every bit as exciting as her own.

The Doctor glanced past Jack and saw Max still hanging back. Stepping towards her he said, "Max."

Max gazed back at the man in the brown pin-stripe suit with converses and recognized the look in his eyes; it was the same heaviness that her Doctor had the last time she saw him and slowly comprehended that somehow (she wasn't quite sure how) this was the same Time Lord. "Doctor." She replied giving him a small smile. "Noticed that you got a new face."

"Yeah…the other one didn't fit me, the ears were too big."

"You'll have to tell me how you do that."

"Plenty of time for that later on, what are you two doing here? I'm walking with Martha when the TARDIS tells me I've got some old friends on-board."

"We saw the box and had to come take a look." Max offered up, moving fully into the engine room while stuffing the shirt in her purse.

"Fancy a trip then? I was just about to take Martha to a planet with an endless beach and not a soul in sight; space or otherwise."

"Telegran Six?" Jack asked, popping his head around the corner of the control panel while smiling. "'cause I know a place there where-"

"No, not Telegran Six." The Doctor interrupted knowing exactly what Jack was going to say. "Can't remember the name of it, but it's been around awhile and not a single soul on the planet. Slightly discomforting at first but you get used to it. Just the perfect place to relax and celebrate."

"Sounds perfect." Martha said, smiling.

"Count me in." Jack replied, putting an arm around Martha and grinning as well.

Max hesitated, not sure if she should agree to join them. She had more responsibilities now and wasn't able to go off on a whim like she had before. Sure the Doctor could bring her back so it was like she hadn't left, but the last time he'd tried that she ended up gone for two years.

Jack was the first to pick up on her hesitation and walked towards her while saying, "How 'bout it Maxie? Like the Doctor said sunshine to tan that gorgeous body of your and I know that we both could use a break from all this."

Max blushed at the comment, no matter how many times he piled flatteries on her she never got used to it, and knew that Jack was right but her brain was yelling at her to turn down the offer and leave; that traveling with the Doctor was dangerous and that no good could come from it. "_That's not true,_" she argued to herself. "_when you traveled with him there were plenty of times when nothing bad happened._"

Looking at the Doctor and then Jack she made up her mind. Smiling she laughed, "What the hell? It'll be fun right?"

"There we go." Jack replied, hugging Max which caused her to laugh even more.

"Off we go." The Doctor said, starting to press buttons and pull levers. The familiar wheezing sound began to fill the room and Max shuddered with excitement; she had forgotten the rush that came with hearing the sound.

You never knew what was going to happen on any of the Doctor's trips.

* * *

"Where's Jack?" Tosh asked Ianto as she, Owen, and Evan walked into the Hub. 

"Gone." After Jack and Max had run out like their shirts were on fire he had gone down and looked over the footage trying to figure out why they had left like that. It was only after reviewing the CC footage did it finally dawn on him.

"Where too?" Evan questioned as he tossed his jacket onto the back of his chair. It drove Max crazy when he did it at home, but old habits die hard and he wasn't about to change his ways this late in the game.

"Don't know."

"Bloody Hell!" Owen burst out. "He's up and left us again."

"Now Owen, don't assume-" Tosh started to say but Owen cut her off.

"Yes I can. It's just like last time; we come back from a job and he's gone. There's only _one_ person who could make him do that."

"But at least we know who he's with and I'm sure that there's a good reason for him leaving."

Evan noticed that Ianto had left the group and had started making coffee in the kitchenette. "Jack's done this before?" He asked as Tosh and Owen continued to bicker.

"In two thousand and six. Disappeared for three months and we thought someone had abducted him." Ianto pushed the coffee filter in and flipped the switch. "Turns out he just went on a trip and then later the next year he went off again with the same person." He finished as the pot gurgled to life.

Evan frowned because there was something about all of this that sat wrong with him but couldn't figure out what. Then he realized what it was; they had come through the surface entrance and hadn't seen Max even though she had known they'd be gone for only a short while. "Did Max go with Jack?" he asked slowly.

"You could say that." Ianto hedged, wondering how he should continue. But before he could Owen broke in.

"Did you see it?" Owen called out, having given up trying to convince Tosh that Jack wasn't coming back.

"Not exactly. I was in the back room when he came. I only saw them run outside towards the Plass."

"Why would they do that? We just walked through there and didn't see anything." Evan asked, confused and wondering why she would run off like that. He could see Jack doing that sort of thing, but not Max.

"That's because you didn't know what to look for. Hell, we weren't expecting him to show up again so we didn't see it either."

"See what?"

"The TARDIS. Jack's gone off with the Doctor again."

"And Max went with them?" Evan asked wondering if that's what Ianto had been trying to tell him without coming right out and saying it. But he still had questions; why she went off with Jack, why someone called 'the Doctor' would cause them to run off like that, and what else everyone wasn't telling him. Looking at the three of his co-workers he asked, "Anyone care to explain to me who this Doctor is?"

"You might want to get comfortable." Owen said as he walked over to a large filing cabinet, pulled out a number of thick folders, and set them down on the conference room table with a 'thud'. "This'll take awhile."


	7. Never a Dull Moment

A/N: Spoilers for season two on up of Atlantis from here on out and see past chapters for all disclaimers. Leave a review please (I know that people are reading it)!

"How long did you travel with him?" Max asked Martha as they traveled to the mystery planet. The Doctor had said the trip would take about two hours (something about not trying to land in an ocean) so they were left with entertaining themselves for the time being.

They had spent the first half-hour roaming the halls of the TARDIS; Jack and Martha had revisited their old rooms and then Martha had discovered a room full of old clothes from past Companions so the girls had spent an hour going through it and wondered if the Doctor would be willing to part with some of the items (Max was taken with the eighties go-go boots and bombardier jacket while Martha wanted the seventies platform boots and 'Flashdance' shirt).

Now they had settled down and were relaxing in the engine room waiting to arrive.

"Spent two years bouncing all over with him, but then I decided to get my degree and really help people." Martha replied with a faint smile. Even though The Year That Wasn't was long in the past there were times where she still had nightmares about it and woke in a cold sweat. Being with Torchwood and Jack for a while had helped, but Martha knew that what had happened would stay with her for a long time still. That's why she was determined to help as many people as she could.

Pushing the dark thoughts to the back of her mind Martha asked, "What about you? You don't seem like the type of person who'd go gallivanting across time and space with a nine hundred year old Time Lord."

Max laughed at the comment, "I could say the same for you. I met him when the school I was teaching at played home to a bunch of child-like aliens. After seeing that I couldn't help but wonder what else was out there."

Martha grinned, "Same here 'cept I got stuck on the moon with him and a blood-sucking alien."

* * *

"They seem to be getting along." Jack remarked to the Doctor as he watched Max and Martha laugh together. Softly smiling he said, "Remember the last time that happened?" 

"Long time ago." The Doctor replied while gazing into space. He still missed Rose as a friend, but the pain wasn't as sharp as it had been for the first few years, and hoped that she was happy. Glancing at the panel he brightened up, "Almost there." The TARDIS lurched suddenly and sent everyone but the Doctor to the ground.

"Ow." Martha said, sitting back up and rubbing her elbow as she did. "I'd forgotten how she could do that."

"Me too." Max groaned, rubbing the back of her head where she had hit it on the metal grating.

"What happened?" Jack asked popping back up and running a hand through his hair.

"Not sure. Could be anything to make her jump like that." The Doctor replied as he put on his glasses, trying to figure out what was going on. The ship lurched again but everyone was able to grab onto something in order to stay upright. It stopped as soon as it started and a monitor beeped, letting them know that they had arrived at their destination.

"That was fun." the Doctor said as he started shutting down systems.

"Sure," Martha commented while arching an eyebrow. "if you don't count us getting thrown around like bean bags."

"She does have a point." Max agreed, nodding her head. Slightly wincing from the sharp pain in her head she rubbed the offending spot again and asked, "Where's the aspirin?"

"It's in the medicine cabinet." The Doctor replied from his spot, eyes still glued to the screen in front of him.

"Where's that?"

"To the left of the pool, behind the lounge, two doors to the left of the library, three levels up from wardrobe and the fourth door diagonally behind the third floor powder room."

"Ladies, ladies," Jack said as he put an arm around both of them. "the weather outside is too wonderful for you to be in such a bad mood. Why don't we each grab a bottle of Hypervodka and enjoy the water?"

"What about swimwear? I don't know about you about you but I didn't bring anything." Max replied as Jack let go of her and Martha and started for the hallway.

Jack paused and turned to face them wearing a grin, "Who said anything about swimwear?"

Martha groaned, "You just had to say something didn't you? Isn't there anything that you won't turn into innuendo?"

"I'll let you know when I find out." Jack quipped as he resumed walking towards the kitchen.

"I wouldn't hold your breath." Max commented as she followed Jack on her way to find the aspirin.

"Don't worry I won't." Martha muttered as the pair disappeared.

Turning towards the Doctor, who was still trying to figure out what had caused the TARDIS to shake like it had, she took his hand and pulled him away from the panel. "You can figure it out later; right now let's enjoy that endless beach."

Martha noticed how much happier the Doctor seemed to be after Max and Jack decided to join their little outing and wondered if he had anyone to travel with. But there would be plenty of time to ask him about that later, right now there was a beach that was theirs for the taking.

Gasping the door handle, she opened it and stepped out to come face to face with guns pointed at her and the Doctor.

* * *

Max entered the Engine Room mentally thanking the TARDIS for showing her a shortcut to the medicine cabinet; otherwise she might still be looking for it. Not seeing Martha or the Doctor she assumed that they were already outside and wondered over to one of the screens that showed the outside hoping to get a glimpse of the sunshine and sandy beach. 

"Oh…for Fred's sake."

Running out of the room and into the bowels of the ship she wondered what trouble the Doctor had gotten them into this time.

Passing a door she caught a glimpse of Jack, skidded to a stop, and dashed into the room. "Jack!"

Jack looked up to see Max run into the room and smiling he set the bottle of Hypervodka on the counter while saying, "I knew that you wanted to get me alone but all you had to do was ask."

"This _isn't_ the time Jack." Max snapped. "The Doctor and Martha-"

"Did they pick out a spot already?"

"No." Max gulped, her heart still beating. "They…we can't go out there."

Jack inwardly sighed, of all the times for Max to suddenly decide that she wanted to be back at Torchwood, but he decided to humor her in order to get the full story. "Ok…why can't we go outside?"

"Because, the Doctor and Martha just got taken away at gun point."

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, wondering if Max had hit her head harder than she thought. Maybe she had a concussion and that was making her see things. "'cause there's a beach outside."

"I think I know a gun when I see one." Max snapped while pacing back and forth in front of Jack as her mind raced trying to figure things out. "I thought the Doctor was taking us to a planet with no one on it." She paused and looked at Jack, "You don't think he messed up again."

Jack shrugged, "Looks like." Moving towards the door he asked, "Do they know about us?"

"Don't think so."

Jack was silent, not sure what to do next. Obviously they needed to get the Doctor and Martha back but first they needed to see how many were outside.

They ran to the Control Room where Jack went immediately to a screen to see how many were outside, which from the look of it only two guards were present.

He smiled to himself; this would be a walk in the park since he'd dealt with bigger odds before (Nova Bright came to mind).

Jack glanced up to see Max holding a cell phone, "What?"

Max looked up from the phone, an old model by the looks of it, wondering why a cell phone was there and _why_ it buzzed, "I just got a text from Martha. They've been taken "captive"."

Knowing that she had gotten a new phone a number of years ago, he realized that the Doctor must have up-graded her current one. "So now we go rescue them." Jack said, shrugging on his RAF coat and moving towards the door. Max followed him after sending a reply and they cracked opened the door, slipping through as quietly as they could.

Just as a guard turned around Jack knocked him out while Max took out the second one. Dragging them to the side of the TARDIS Jack took their sidearms and tossed one to Max while saying, "In case we get separated."

Hearing footsteps they realized that the noise must have gotten the attention of some other guards and they needed to disappear fast. Jack quickly looked for another door but there wasn't one. Sighing, he moved to one side of door while motioning for Max to get on the other side of the door.

As Max moved she realized that the grey walls looked eerily familiar, as had the uniforms of the men she had seen. So familiar that if she didn't know any better Max would say that they were on Atlantis. Smiling at the thought, she knew that it was insane to think that because the city was most likely several galaxies away.

Holding the pistol so that the handle was raised, Jack waited for the first man to run through. Never in a million years did he think that he'd be back in the thick of things with the Doctor, off on one of his adventures not knowing what they'd run into.

Feeling a rush of adrenaline, Jack felt more alive right now then he had in years; after The Year That Wasn't things had become too routine, making him complacent. Maybe that's why when he saw the box he leapt at the chance to go with the Doctor again, he needed to be reminded of what it was to feel alive.

Grey appeared and Jack brought the gun down, striking the man's head. He crumpled to the ground while the former Time Agent moved for the second man who had been only a few inches behind the first; taking him out had been as easy as the first and soon him and Max were the only ones standing. He looked at the fallen men and briefly wondered who they were, and what they were doing here.

But they didn't have time for much thought at the moment, they needed to drag them over to where the first two were and then try to find the Doctor and Martha. Slipping the pilfered weapon into his pocket Jack grabbed an arm, "Help me drag them over."

Grabbing the opposite arm, as they pulled the unconscious man towards the side of the TARDIS Max commented, "You seemed to know what you were doing back there."

"Yeah…before I joined Torchwood I did that on a regular basis." Jack replied casually. Letting go off the man, he made sure that no appendages were sticking out where someone walking by could see. "Not to proud of it, but it had to be done." He caught a glimpse of one of the patches on the sleeve of the jacket and saw that it was for the Atlantis expedition. Raising an eyebrow he asked himself what the odds were that they had traveled to the floating city. Wondering how Max was reacting to being back he glanced at her and was slightly surprised to see that her expression hadn't changed.

"Oh." Max simply said, picking up on the fact that he didn't want to talk about it and wondered why Jack was suddenly staring at her. They then walked back towards the second man and as they dragged him towards the others Max thought there was something familiar about him. As Jack rolled him over Max caught a glimpse of the face and gasped, "What year is it?"

"No idea."

Looking around the room Max tried to find something that would give her a clue but only saw storage containers. "Maybe something in the containers'll tell us." She said, walking quickly towards one and opening the top. Rustling through the contents on the top she pulled out a list of cargo. Glancing at the top she saw the year and her eyes went wide.

If things hadn't been fucked up before they sure were now.

Jack saw Max's reaction to the piece of paper she was holding and didn't like it. Striding over to her he took it from her grasp and looked at it, "Two thousand and five."

At least that explained why Lorne was here; he had been stationed on Atlantis starting that year but he didn't get why Max was acting that way, "Care to explain why you're freaking out on me?"

"I'm not supposed to be here."

"And?" Jack asked, wondering how that was supposed to explain everything.

Sighing Max took the piece of paper from Jack while pointed to the date, "It's two thousand and **five**. I didn't come until two thousand and **six**. I'm here a year early."


	8. Always have a rescue plan

"I thought you said that there wasn't anyone here." Martha hissed as their captors left after dropping them into a containment room. "And where's the beach?"

"Last time I was here there _wasn't_ anyone." the Doctor replied softly while glancing around hoping for some clue as to where they were. "I could've sworn I set the coordinate's right, although last time I was a little distracted trying to keep an eye on Susan as she played with the TARDIS so we must of ended up on Telegran Six after all."

"What about Max and Jack? They don't know about us."

"Phone the TARDIS."

"No I can't."

"Yes you can; just use your phone to let them know what's happened."

"…I got a new one."

"Why?"

"I gave you mine! Besides, it's not like I would've been calling home from three galaxies over any time soon."

The Doctor sighed, but adapted his plan to the newest development. Pulling out his sonic screwdriver he asked, "Do you have it with?"

"I think so…" Martha checked her pockets and found it in one of them.

The Doctor took it, pointed the screwdriver at Martha's phone for a few seconds, and then handed it back to her, "It should work now."

Martha skeptically took it back and tried, if only to tell him that he was wrong for once and it didn't work. So when her phone actually sent the text and a few seconds later received one back she was slightly disappointed. "They're on their way to get us."

"Good, good. This brings back memories you know." He chirped.

"Oh yes; the fond memories of being held captive." Martha deadpanned, wondering how he could be so chipper at the moment. "Can't you use your screwdriver and get us out of here?"

"I could, but to do that I'd have to get through the energy field." The Doctor replied, tapping his fingers in-between the bars and as he did the bars pulsed with a blue light and slight sound for a few seconds before disappearing again. "Fascinating technology. Reminds me of this one race, don't know if they're around anymore but they could do things with crystals that even I couldn't think of."

Martha opened her mouth to reply but before she could get a single word out the outside door opened and two people strode through it.

--

"Does Rodney know why they didn't show up on the radar?" John asked as he and Elizabeth made their way towards their newest guests. He had been surprised, and slightly puzzled, to get a call that a strange blue box had appeared in one of the storage rooms with two people exiting it. By the way Elizabeth had looked puzzled when she joined him on the way down he assumed that she had gotten the same message.

"No, he's still trying to figure out how they got through the shield." Elizabeth replied in an equally soft tone. At first she had wondered if the Wraith had somehow realized that Atlantis was still standing and managed to get into the city undetected but that theory went out the window when Bates said that the object in question was a blue box. Now she didn't know what to think; although the fact that it could be a remnant of the Trust, who were still out there somewhere, was stuck in the back of her mind. But Weir was sure there was a logical explanation for all of this.

Martha and the Doctor walked towards the two people, whom they both assumed to be the leaders, stopping just in front of the cell door.

"Who are you?" Elizabeth asked, while putting on her most diplomatic face. Even if they turned out to be the enemy you caught more flies with honey than vinegar.

"I could ask you the same. Wait; don't tell me…they've finally let the human race colonize on the planet." The Doctor smiled while sticking his hand into his pockets, looking rather pleased with himself, "That's brilliant; about time they realized that you have so much more to offer than just the invention of the slinky."

Elizabeth and John gave each other confused glances before turning back to their guests. As she looked at them she wondered who they exactly were; from their clothes it looked like they were from Earth but the way the man talked it was like they had ended up at the wrong destination.

"We seem to have a bit of a misunderstanding." The Doctor continued to say, looking more at ease then he had been before. "It's my fault really-"

"You could say that again." Martha snorted, cutting the Doctor off and folding her arms to convey that she wasn't happy about their current predicament.

The Doctor ignored Martha's comment and continued, "I was aiming for this one lovely planet, not sure if it has a name come to think of it, but must of gotten the coordinates wrong. So if you don't mind opening the door we'll just be on our merry way."

"_Colonel Sheppard?_" John heard on his headset.

John moved away from Elizabeth, not envying her at all as she tried to explain why they couldn't just let them go, as he clicked the headset and said, "Sheppard here, what is it?"

"_My team and I just found Major Lorne and his team unconscious and some of the bins have been rifled through._"

"Anything missing?"

"_Just the manifest but we found it a few feet away…_"

"Call Beckett and inform him of the situation. And start searching the area for the others; I'll meet you there with my team shortly."

"_Yes sir._"

John then walked back towards Elizabeth and, interrupting her, asked, "How many of you are there?"

"John?" Elizabeth asked, wondering about the interruption.

"Sorry, don't know what you're talking about." The Doctor replied when he realized Jack and Max must of left some bodies in their wake. As much as he'd like to admit that there were two more in his group, he needed to stall as long as he could so they'd have time to rescue him and Martha as it was looking less and less likely that they'd be able to just walk out of here.

John wasn't buying it, the coincidence of the two in front of him showing up and then people starting to get knocked out was just too great for him to ignore. But right now he didn't have time to press for numbers, there was the fact that there were how many more strangers roaming around the city doing god-knows what. Without saying anything else, John just glared at the man and left the room activating his headset to radio Teyla and Ronon.

Elizabeth watched John shoot the man a glare and then leave. Realizing from John's question that there were more "guests" in the city she wondered if they were headed for another incident like they had had with Kolya.

"_Doctor Weir?_" she heard Chuck's voice say, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"_We've been having some slight power problems. Doctor McKay's working on it now but you might want to take a look for yourself._"

"I'll be there shortly." Looking the man in the eyes she raised an eyebrow while saying, "Seems your friends have been busy." Elizabeth then walked out of the room, knowing that the simple sentence implied that they'd be found sooner or later.

The Doctor watched Elizabeth walk away after she told him in so many words that Max and Jack had started to create some kind of disruption. Smiling to himself, he realized he shouldn't be surprised; after all this was Jack and if he was right then this was just a warm-up.

---

"So now what?" Jack asked after Max told him that she was here before she was supposed to (with the irony of all this not lost on him).

"Well I get my ass back in the TARDIS and after you get Martha and the Doctor we high-tail it outta here." Max replied, starting for the ship.

Jack of all people knew the dangers of crossing timelines and changing things but at the moment they didn't have the luxury of avoiding all that. Grabbing her arm he said, "Sorry, but I need you here."

"But-but-"

"Trust me when I say I know all about the dangers of crossing timelines but we don't have time for that. You're the only person conscious who's willing to take me around of their own free will. You know your way around pretty good right?"

"Yeah." Max replied, slowly nodding her head. While she hadn't used her memory of the layout of Atlantis in a number of years she was slightly confident that she could do it.

"Good. We can stick to back routes, that way we won't run into anyone." Jack said, letting go of her hand and moving towards the door. Entering the hallway he stopped and looked around, waiting for Max to follow. When she'd entered as well he asked, "Which way?"

"It'd help if I knew where we are." Max replied, picking left at random and walking down it looking for a transporter. It had been years since she had set foot in the city but this wasn't the same city that she remembered. It was too shiny and clean; the Atlantis she knew had scorch marks and bore scars from battles that hadn't even been thought of let alone happened yet. This just felt like a new car before its first scratch. And it was too quiet; the city she remembered had kids, Athosian and later on Expedition, running all over the place shouting, laughing, and playing.

Nearing a corner she felt Jack's hand on her arm and slowed down to let him go ahead. She waited as he peered around the corner to see if there was anyone that might raise the alarm. When he was satisfied that there was no one they rounded it and continued their way. Just as she was beginning to wonder if they were lost, something that happened very easily in this place, they ran past a room and she caught a glance of its contents. Back tracking she paused at the threshold and looked inside.

Jack noticed that Max had paused and wondered what was going on. "What?" he asked when he had neared her. But she didn't respond and moved inside the room. Jack sighed, of all the times to get sidetracked, but followed her inside without complaint. Eyes sweeping around the room as he stepped in Jack saw that all the room contained was a strange energy source, a type of generator if he had to guess, and by the way Max was smiling it had to be important. "What's that?" he asked as she moved closer to the object and got down on her knees.

"A naquadah generator." Max replied, looking at the glowing object. She knew that they were using the ZPM by now but figured that they wouldn't rely solely on it; they must still use the generators to power a number of secondary systems, nothing that was vital to the city but still important enough. Max hoped that by finding enough of them and turning them off would give her and Jack a little more extra time.

But first she had to figure out how to turn this one off.

Wishing the generators came with a clearly labeled on/off switch, Max was at a loss at what to do. Since she was no Rodney McKay or Samantha Carter, Max knew that she'd just have to start pulling wires and hope that nothing exploded.

Jack saw her hesitation and said, "I can turn it off if you want to."

"No…I got it." Max replied, grasping the wires and pulling. Flinching slightly, she waited for the sounds of the generator overloading but it just died quietly. Glad that she had dodged _that_ bullet, Max stood and walked over towards the wall where a panel was and tapped it.

Jack followed Max and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"Other generators. If we turn enough of them off we should be able to distract them long enough to grab the Doctor and Martha and get the hell out of here."

Jack smiled as Max walked towards the door, "I knew I hired you for a reason."

--

Lorne walked into their apartment building still trying to process everything he had just learned. First Max and Jack disappear for no reason and then he was told that the main purpose of Torchwood was to watch for and record the movements of an alien called 'The Doctor'.

He'd seen and heard some crazy things while with the SGC and on Atlantis but this eclipsed them all.

But one thing still puzzled him; he got why Jack would run off, there was some connection between him and this "Doctor", but why would Max go with them? Evan had asked the others that question but they didn't know why either. They had gone through the files that had survived the Battle of Canary Warf, but couldn't find anything that would link her to him.

Tosh guessed that there wasn't and she went with Jack to make sure he didn't get in trouble (because they knew it followed the man like a lost puppy) but Evan had his doubts.

"_If there _were_ files on her then it's like someone didn't want anyone to know._" He thought to himself as he stepped out of the elevator and walked towards their apartment. Unlocking the door he walked in while calling out, "Anyone here?"

"Daddy!" Miranda shouted, leaping up and rushing to greet him. After hugging his legs she looked up and asked, "Where's mommy?"

"Yeah," Anglia called from her spot on the floor where she was watching Jack and David. "where is she? I got a call from the school saying that she didn't pick up Miranda and I had to get her."

"Sorry 'bout that Ang." Evan apologized as he crossed the floor to where she was and picked up David. "Heya big fella, have a good day?" he asked, looking at the six-month old and chuckling when he got a grin in return. Evan then turned his gaze to Anglia and Miranda who were looking at him expectantly.

"Mom had to…suddenly leave today."

"Why?" Anglia asked, her brow knitting together in confusion. "Is there something wrong?"

"She didn't really say." He hedged, telling the truth without giving it all away.

"Oh…when will she be back?"

"I'm not sure."


	9. Fickle Machines

"It should be around here." Max replied, stopping in the middle of the hallway and looking around, trying to spot the third generator room.

"That's what you said the last time we stopped." Jack said, raising an eyebrow. "Face it we're lost."

"No we're not-"

"Yes we are. I thought you knew your way around here."

"Well excuse me," Max snapped, not liking that they were lost either. "it's been _how_ long since I've been here? And it's not my fault that every single frelling hallway looks the same."

Jack just shot her a look and they continued down the hallway. Rounding a corner, Jack spotted two guards in front of a room and beat a hasty retreat. Pushing Max back, he motioned with his head for her to take a look. She cautiously did and her eyes lit up.

"You know what's in there?" he whispered.

"No, but whatever's in there must be important enough to warrant guards. Maybe if we take whatever is in that room then they'll be distracted enough to let us actually get to the cells." Max replied, a slow smile appearing.

Jack couldn't help but agree with the simple plan. "But how are we going to take them out?"

"I'll bring them too you." Max replied, as she ran past Jack and rounded the corner.

Jack didn't have to wait long, a few seconds later he heard the sounds of footsteps coming towards him. The first guard rounded the corner and moved towards Jack, but the other man was ready and knocked him out easily. The second guard was proving to be more trouble because he wasn't willing to go down without a fight. After exchanging several blows, Jack finally had the opportunity to knock him out but before he could the Marine went down. Looking up he saw that Max was standing over the guard with a gun, handle side up, in her hand.

"What was that for?" he askedslightly out of breathas he picked up his coat.

Max shrugged, "You were taking too long."

Jack just grumbled as they jogged towards the room. Once inside Jack looked around for what ever it was that the men had been guarding but couldn't find it. All that was in the room was a large round dais, from which a slightly audible humming sound was coming from. Jack watched as Max walked over to the dais and, after looking around, pressed a button on the side. Up popped a glowing object and he couldn't help but wonder if that's what they had been looking for.

Max watched the ZPM come into view and the light give everything a yellow cast. Seeing Jack's look she couldn't help but smile. "It's a ZPM. I'd give you the 'ZPM for Dummies' Cliff Notes but I barely got through the first paragraph." She replied, turning her gaze back to the large crystal.

"So what does it do then basically?"

"Basically it's a bigger, high-tech version of the generators." Max replied, still not sure how to take it out. Removing the ZMP required a finer touch then the generators and what she knew about the power source could fit on the back of Earth's smallest postage stamp.

Jack looked at Max and then at the ZPM. They didn't have time for this; it was only a matter of time until they found the unconscious men by the TARDIS and go looking for them, if it hadn't happened already. Jack walked up to the dais, grabbed the ZPM with both hands and gave it a yank. Out it came with a shower of sparks and then everything went dark.

Max jumped back when Jack pulled the ZPM out and gave a short yelp. "Why'd you do that?" she asked, while reaching for her keychain. Finding it, she fumbled for the pen light on it and turned it on. Swinging the beam towards Jack she glared at him, even if he couldn't see it. "You could've killed us!"

"_Well just you, but you don't need to know that._" Jack thought, glad that Max was still in the dark about his immortality and planned to keep it that way for as long as possible. "Did I?" Jack asked, slightly wincing at the brightness of the small beam. He still had the ZPM in his hands and wondering what they would do now.

"No but-"

"But nothing." Jack said, taking the light from Max's hands and shining it on the floor. Setting the ZPM on a step, he continued, "Let's go rescue the Doctor and Martha. I bet they're wondering what's taking us so long."

Max shot daggers at Jack's back as they ran out the door and down the hallway.

* * *

"What's going on Rodney?" Elizabeth asked as she made her way up the steps to where Rodney McKay was staring at his laptop screen. "Why are we losing power?"

"Looks like some of the naquadah generators have gone off-line." The Canadian said, wondering what could of caused them to stop working; they had been fine when he checked them yesterday. "Good thing we don't rely on them too heavily now or we'd be in trouble."

No sooner had the words left his mouth the Control Tower went dark, with only the glow of his laptop screen to light the area. "Oh wonderful." Rodney said, straightening up.

Elizabeth stopped mid-step when everything went pitch black. "Rodney?" she asked, worry suddenly appearing in her tone. There were exclamations of surprise as people knocked into each other and Elizabeth suddenly found herself wishing that there were flashlights in the vicinity.

"I'm checking." McKay replied, already moving so he was eyelevel to his computer. "The ZedPM's gone off-line."

"Rodney-"

"On my way." He cut Elizabeth off while gathering his laptop and moving down the stairs. Rodney tapped his headset but remembered that they were off-line at the moment. "Someone find Zelenka and tell him to meet me in the ZPM room." He snapped.

Elizabeth watched Rodney leave the room and knew that the most recent turn of events weren't good; they still kept the city cloaked in case a Wraith ship decided to check that the city was actually destroyed. With the ZPM off-line that meant the cloak was off as well, making the city visible and any Wraith that happened to come while sensors were down as well could plainly see that Atlantis hadn't, in fact, been blown up.

* * *

"So now what?" Martha asked the Doctor after Elizabeth left.

"We wait." The Doctor replied, his back towards Martha.

"Wait?" Martha echoed, not believing what she was hearing. "Since when do you wait? There must be some way you can get us out of here."

"I think it's been established that there's little we can do until they decide to release us."

Martha opened her mouth to reply but decided not to push her luck, she'd seen the Doctor when he was a little cranky (usually when the TARDIS wasn't working or he'd skipped his morning coffee) and didn't want a repeat. Suddenly there was a spark of blue as the energy field was interrupted and everything went dark, then silence fell heavily on them. Martha slowly stood up and carefully made her way to the edge of the cell. "What's going on?" she asked, her voice feeling loud in the darkness.

"Seems they're going to rescue us." The Doctor replied in a low tone, feeling Martha brush past him as she shifted. "Shouldn't be much longer." And as if on cue, they heard the sound of footsteps and the shadow of light on the walls. A guard called out for whoever was there to identify themselves, but no one did and the sound of the safeties being turned off made its distinctive 'click'.

Martha cursed silently to herself, she didn't want to be treating gunshot wounds at the moment and even if Jack got shot they'd still have to lug his dead body all the way to the TARDIS. She knew that it was horrible for her to think that, but Martha couldn't help it. The sound of scuffling drew Martha out of her thoughts and she felt her heartbeat increase because she had no idea who was being attacked. Silence suddenly appeared and then footsteps, more than one pair by the sound of it, started to draw near.

"Martha? Doctor?" Jack called out as they neared the cell, turning the pen light on and swung it in front of him. The beam caught a flash of grey steel and Jack sped up with Max not far behind him.

Martha jumped when she heard her name called and when she caught Jack's face as the beam bounced off of it she sighed with relief. "God Jack," she said pretending to be annoyed but in all reality was glad to see the man. "stop scaring me. If you keep it up my head'll turn grey while I'm still young."

"But you'll be as sexy as ever." Jack replied, grinning.

"Jack." The Doctor said warningly.

"Relax, Doctor." Jack said as he gripped the edge of the cell and tried to pull it open. "You'll always be number one in my heart." Not happy that the door refused to budge he tried again. It still remained unopened and Jack had no idea how much longer they had. "Why won't it open?" he asked, after he had tried and failed for a third time.

"Because you yanked out the ZMP." Max snapped. "Great going Jack, you locked them in."

"Who wanted to take it out in the first place?"

"Hey." The Doctor said before Jack and Max could continue bickering. They glared at each other but remained silent. Pulling out his screwdriver he turned it on so the blue light cast a pale glow on the area around it. Maneuvering his arm in-between the bars, he twisted it so he could reach the panel.

The screwdriver hummed for a few seconds before turning off and the sound of locks releasing were heard. The Doctor retracted his arm back through the bars and stepped back so Jack and Max could open the door.

This time Jack was able to get a better hold on the door and with Max and Martha's help opened the door. "C'mon, let's go." Max said, becoming antsy as Martha and the Doctor exited the cell.

They ran down the hall, and managed to get to the upper levels of the city without being seen by anyone. Glad that luck was on their side so far, Max just wanted it to continue to be that way so she could relax on a nice warm beach and forget about this part of the trip.

As they moved the Doctor couldn't help but notice that most of the time Max was leading the way; knowing which hallways to go down as well as where staircases and the elevator shafts were. That stuck him as odd because he remembered not taking her anywhere that looked like this and wondered how she knew her way around the place. As they rounded a corner he made a mental note to ask her about it later, when they weren't running for their lives.

* * *

"Looks like they just yanked it out." Rodney said to Elizabeth as he held the ZedPM in one hand and looked at its slot. "Don't they know this is a piece of valuable equipment? ZedPM's aren't a dime a dozen around here, ya know."

They had managed to get the generators back on-line and were using them to power communications and sensors until Rodney and Zelenka got the ZPM working again. They were still visible; fortunately there were no Wraith ships in the area or headed towards them, but they still needed to get the cloak back on-line as soon as possible.

Elizabeth couldn't help but let a restrained smile appear on her face as she listened to Rodney, who acted like the power source was his own flesh and blood. "When we find them you can tell them that, Rodney." She replied.

Touching her headset she switched channels in order to talk to John, "Have you found them yet?"

"No, I'm on my way to the holding cells to see how out guests are doing." He replied walking down the last flight of stairs. Shining the light attached to his P90 around he looked for the guards he had posted earlier. Not finding them, he cautiously made his way down the hallway until he made it to the room. "Elizabeth?" he said looking at the sight of the empty cell with the door halfway opened. "We have a problem."

* * *

"Not much farther." Max called out behind her as they rounded the last corner. As they did the lights suddenly came back on and the group slowed down; temporarily blinded by the abrupt change in lighting. But their eyes soon adjusted and they continued down the corridor, hoping that no one was waiting for them by the TARDIS.

Entering the room to find it empty Max let out a sigh of relief while hearing Jack and Martha do the same. The relief was short lived, however, because they dimly heard the sound of running off in the distance. "I think we should go now." Jack replied, moving towards the door.

"Really? And what told you that?" Max asked, as he grasped the door and pushed it; but it only rattled and stayed closed.

Jack tried the door again but it remained closed. "_Why_ did you lock the door?" he asked, glaring at Max who turned a bright red while pulling out her key.

"Force of habit." She replied sheepishly, as she handed it over to Jack who slipped it into the lock and turned it. The door opened this time and they all piled in, wanting to forget this part of the trip.

The Doctor reached the controls just after Martha and punched in the coordinates for the right planet this time. The panel lit up and the TARDIS started to hum but suddenly sparks rained from above and the ship jolted, leaving everyone scrabbling for something so they wouldn't fall.

"What the hell was that?" Martha shouted over the din.

The Doctor didn't reply, instead he replaced his hand with a foot in order to hold down the button while he worked with both hands. He quickly flipped switches then re-entered the coordinates, but the ship didn't react and more sparks fell.

A third time failed as well, and the TARDIS started to shut down. The Doctor glanced at a screen and his face fell.

Max caught the Doctors reaction and realized that what ever had just happened wasn't good. "What's going on?"

"She won't start up; we're dead in the water."

"Oh hell."


	10. First Impressions

The Doctor was at a loss as to what was wrong with the TARDIS. Of all the times that it had acted up he knew exactly what the reason was but this time he had no idea, which was strange in itself. Walking over to a section of the floor he got down on his knees, pulled off the grate, and hopped down to see if anything had broken.

"What's wrong?" Martha asked as she peered down to see the Doctor tinkering around. The moment he had said that the TARDIS had stalled out, Jack was off without a word as to where he was going and while Max looked calm Martha could tell that she was anxious about something.

"Not quite sure." The Doctor called out, looking for anything out of the ordinary. But aside from the sparks that showered down every so often, everything looked fine and that confused him even more; if there was nothing wrong then they should have been on a sunny beach right now.

Pulling himself out onto the floor, he took the hand that Martha offered and stood while saying, "We'd better go out and explain ourselves."

"What?" Max asked, feeling like the universe was conspiring against her. "Isn't there another option?"

"Doesn't look like it. I have no idea how long we could be stuck here, so we might as well get to know the locals."

Max watched Martha and the Doctor walk towards the door and disappear through it. Sighing, she sat down heavily on the stairs and lowered her head into her hands. Things had gone from slightly messed up to completely, royally, screwed up.

"What's with the long face?"

Max looked up to see Jack sit down next to her. "Where'd you go?"

"Figured that you might need this." Jack replied, pulling a hand out of his pocket and opening it to reveal a necklace.

"A piece of jewelry." Max said slowly, staring at the item in question; it was a small pendant held by a thin gold chain with a simple clasp. "Sorry, but I have all the necklaces that I need."

"It's not just a pendant, put it on." Jack urged as he unclasped it and held it towards Max.

She looked at it a few seconds and then took it, putting it on. After hooking the clasp she felt a slight tingle but it disappeared as fast as it had appeared. Not feeling any different she stood and looked at Jack. Noting his surprised expression, she immediately worried that something was wrong. Fumbling with the clasp she asked, "What is this thing?"

Jack blinked rapidly trying to form words but nothing was coming to mind. It had taken a few minutes of searching but he had found the "chamelace" that Rose had discovered before the game station right where she had left it. Knowing that if they were going to be stuck on Atlantis for a while, Max needed to leave the ship without Lorne seeing her before he was supposed to.

That's where the necklace that wasn't really a necklace came in. The Doctor had explained it in layman's terms; whoever wore the necklace could become someone entirely different with no one, except the person wearing it and anyone who saw them change, the wiser.

He snapped out it when Max started to take it off. "Wait," he said, jumping up and moving towards her. "if you want to leave the ship you need to keep it on."

Max paused and saw that Jack was serious. "Then tell me why you were suddenly at a loss for words."

Jack smiled and ran a hand through his hair, "I've seen Rose and Doctor put it on a few times and it never fails to surprise me. That'll keep Lorne from seeing you before you get here. The first time that is."

"Really?"

Jack nodded his head, "Yup." He was still trying to get used to the fact that instead of a middle-aged housewife with brown hair there was a twenty-something blond standing in front of him. If he didn't know that she was very married to Evan then Jack would've suggested they catch up with everyone else at a much later time.

"Huh." Max said, wondering what she looked like. Pulling a mirror out of her purse she caught a flash of blond hair as the door creaked open. Both her and Jack turned towards it and saw the Doctor stick his head inside.

"Will you two stop playing with the chameleon necklace and come out. They've agreed to help us." He said and then closed the door without waiting for a response.

Max paused, wondering how he had seen through the ruse but didn't have time to dwell on it as Jack took her hand and pulled her towards the door. As she stepped outside her heart started to pound and it was all she could do not to go running back into the TARDIS.

Martha raised an eyebrow when Jack emerged out of the ship with a blond and opened her mouth to ask who the stranger was when Jack came up to her and hissed, "I'll explain later. Right now just play along with it."

Martha cast one last glance towards the stranger and nodded her head.

* * *

As they walked towards the Control Tower Max maneuvered herself so that she ended up next to the Doctor. "How'd you know I was wearing the necklace?" she asked in a low tone while making sure that no one else could hear her.

"After you've worn it, you can see through it." He replied in an equally low tone. "I take it that you don't want everyone to know who you are."

"You could say that." Max deflected the comment while wondering how much she should tell him. She knew that eventually she'd have to tell everything but right now she wanted to stay in the background as much as possible. "How'd you get them to help us?"

"Flashed the psychic paper. They think that we're part of the SGC, whatever that is. Not sure what part we play in that, but I'll make it up as we go along."

Max allowed her lips to twitch in a tight smile, "That seems to be the general plan with you."

"And when has that ever let me down?" the Doctor asked as they climbed the stairs and entered the briefing room where Elizabeth was waiting.

Weir stood as they all walked in, "I'm Doctor Elizabeth Weir and this is Doctor Rodney McKay. You've already met Colonel Sheppard."

"...Piper Halliwell." Max spoke up and while ignoring the looks that Jack and everyone were giving her continued, "This is Captain Jack Harkness, Doctor Martha Jones, and the Doctor."

"Doctor Who?"

"Just the Doctor." The Time Lord replied while Max and the others just sighed. He knew how they felt; just once he wished that they would come up with something original.

Elizabeth was confused but didn't press further, "Please have a seat." Once everyone was seated she continued, "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding earlier. If you had just told us who you were we could have avoided it."

"No need for apologies." The Doctor said, looking at Elizabeth and giving her a slight smile. "We were in the area and decided to make sure that the proper protocols were being followed."

Elizabeth returned the Doctor's gaze and couldn't shake the feeling that there was something a bit off about the statement. After power had been restored and the cloak raised once more John had radioed her that the people they had earlier imprisoned were in fact part of the SGC and needed assistance.

Now she needed to decide if it was true.

"It's strange, I've never heard of your team until now." She remarked, looking at the rest of the team. "Why is that?"

"We like to operate outside of 'normal' channels."

"So you're Trust then?" Elizabeth asked innocently enough. Here was the test; if they really were with the SGC then they would deny the statement up and down and if not...then they would have to find out who they really were.

The Doctor looked into Elizabeth's eyes trying to figure out what the question meant. He had no idea who the Trust were, let alone what they did. And every second he hesitated made them look questionable. "Actually we-"

"aren't." Max broke in cutting the Doctor off. She knew that if he answered wrong then Elizabeth wouldn't hesitate to throw them back in the brig and when the Doctor had started to answer knew that they couldn't take the risk and had to step in. "We _are_ part of the SGC but only those who need to know about us do. We're currently off-grid at the moment so we would appreciate it if in the weekly data burst you didn't mention us to General Landry."

Martha, Jack, and the Doctor looked at Max when she suddenly jumped in; slightly surprised at the action. It's not that the Doctor didn't mind, especially since he had been about to answer wrong, but it made him wonder even more where they were exactly where since she seemed to know all about the SGC and Trust.

"Can I ask what the mission you're on entails being here on Atlantis?" John asked, speaking up for the first time in the meeting.

"Atlantis?" the Doctor asked, the skepticism evident in his voice. "No, can't be."

John raised an eyebrow at the comment and could see that Elizabeth was equally surprised; if they were apart of the SGC then they would've known that this was Atlantis. "You're in the city of Atlantis."

"No I'm not." The Doctor replied with his 'how daft can you be?' look on his face.

"Uh...yeah, you are."

"I'm not. Can't be. I've been to Atlantis before; lovely place, stone archways like you wouldn't believe! Bit of a problem with crabs, but no place is without its faults right?" The Doctor looked around the room, feeling a little smug with himself.

John just looked at the man, not sure what to say. Gazing at the man he wondered if he was slowly losing his mind and a quick glance at Elizabeth and Rodney told him that they were feeling the same way while the rest of the Doctor's team were reacting in a slightly different way.

"You've been to Atlantis?!" Martha asked incredulously, wondering why he hadn't brought it up before. Off and on through out the years he'd told her of the different places he'd been, and when the three of them had been on the run from the Master he'd spoken dreamily of Gallifrey, but never mentioned Atlantis. The Lost City had been stuff of fairy tales and bedtime stories for Martha but now…now she was learning it was all real.

Jack just smiled at Martha's response; considering this was the Doctor they were with it didn't really surprise him that he'd been to Atlantis.

"A lifetime ago; actually seven of them. Right!" he chirped, looking towards Elizabeth and John who still wore confused looks. "Like I said, this can't be it. So where are we?"

"On Atlantis." Max piped up.

"She's right." Elizabeth said, regaining her composure and speaking up. "You _are_ in the Pegasus Galaxy and this is Atlantis. But why are you here? I'm sure Landry would've mentioned that you would be passing though and we could expect you."

"Like I said we're off-grid at the moment." Max said, wondering how they were going to get out of this one. Shooting a glance at the Doctor she continued, "Thought we were somewhere else."

A flash of annoyance passed on the Doctor's face when Elizabeth said that they were actually on Atlantis again but let it pass; there'd be plenty of time to figure out where they actually were. "Quite right," he agreed. "it was an unplanned stop. Our…ship experienced some kind of malfunction and we'd appreciate all the help you could give us."

"We're just finishing repairs from the Wraith attack so we're a little strapped for resources at the moment-" Elizabeth began to say but the Doctor interrupted her.

"That's fine; all I need are a few power sources and an extra pair of hands."

"Why the extra hands when you've got your team?" John asked.

"They're not really mechanics, the ship's a bit advanced for them-" The Doctor was cut off as Martha cleared her throat in annoyance and Max frowned while Jack pretended to be hurt. But he ignored them and continued, "they fill more of an advisory capacity."

Max heard footsteps from outside and shifted so she could see without it appearing that she was actually looking. It was Evan with three others that she didn't recognize. Feeling her heart rate increasing she struggled to appear like everything was alright. She knew that since it looked like they were going to be stuck here for awhile she would be running into him but hadn't thought past wearing the necklace Jack had given her the entire time.

"-I can arrange quarters for you if you'd like." Elizabeth said pulling Max out of her thoughts.

"Thank you but we have our own." The Doctor declined as he stood.

"How do you all fit in that small box?" Rodney asked as everyone started leaving the room.

"It's bigger on the inside." Jack replied, flashing the Canadian a smile and a wink. Rodney looked mildly uncomfortable while John looked slightly amused.

"While you're here Major Lorne and his team will be escorting you around." John nodding to the side where the team was standing.

"For your safety of course." Elizabeth hastily added while knowing it was so another incident didn't happen. She still didn't completely trust the Doctor and his team, there was something they were hiding and she didn't know if their arrival was good or bad.

"Of course." The Doctor agreed. "Wouldn't want us to get lost."

* * *

As they walked back towards the storage room, Lorne couldn't help but wonder who the four people who had suddenly appeared were. One second he and Lawrence had heard noise coming from the room where the strange box suddenly showed up and then the next he was waking up with a pounding head and Carson checking to see if he was alright.

Turns out that the box belonged to some special ops group that worked for the SGC, he wanted to know what they did 'cause he had been with the Program for a number of years and had never heard any rumors of a special ops group and he's sure that he would've seen them around the Complex at least once but that wasn't the case.

Jack walked up to Evan but remained silent. He realized that this was how the Colonel (or as he was now, Major) met him but was still left wondering how the hell they were supposed to get back with the TARDIS not working. Also the Evan in Cardiff knew that Jack could die, but he'd only done it once before all this and even then Lorne hadn't batted an eyelash despite the fact that Jack hadn't told Lorne beforehand. "_There are always more questions than answers when you're with the Doctor._" He thought to himself, smirking slightly.

"Something funny?" Evan asked Jack drawing the man out of his thoughts.

"Just thinking how nothing is as simple as it seems. Captain Jack Harkness." Jack replied with a smile.

"Major Evan Lorne."

"Sorry about earlier, we had to move fast and didn't want to waste time with all the diplomatic stuff."

"That's all right; it's been at least a week since I was last knocked out. Had to happen sooner or later." Evan replied with a rueful smile. By this time they had reached the storage room and the two groups made their way towards the TARDIS, stopping at the door. "If you need anything don't hesitate to ask; we'll be right outside." Evan said nodding towards the exit.

"Thanks." Jack said, nodding his head. As he turned around to step inside the TARDIS Jack felt Max shoot him a look of thunder. "What?" he asked, opening the door so she could step inside.

"_Stop_ flirting with my husband." Max replied, giving him another look.

"I wasn't flirting, I was just simply introducing myself."

"You were flirting." Martha called out from her spot behind the control panel.

"No I wasn't. Why does everything think that I flirt with everyone I meet?"

"Because you do." Max replied with a teasing smile.

* * *

_Max struggled, trying to free herself, as they forced her up the stone steps but the men had a strong grip on her arms. The drumbeats sounded deep within her stomach and she could hear the roar of the crowd as their leader finished speaking. Twisting around she called out for the Doctor, he was somewhere in the crowd; she knew it, but he was lost in the sea of faces. Max continued to struggle as they reached the top and the men stopped, turning her around to face the crowd. _

_Briefly her vision swam and Max felt sick to her stomach. But it cleared and she was left with a pounding heart and the realization that she was going to die._

Max sat up with a gasp and it took a few minutes for her to realize that it had just been a dream. Heart still pounding she pushed back the covers back while swinging her feet out from under them. Sitting on the edge for a moment, Max wondered why she was suddenly having that nightmare again; it had been years since she last had it. "_Maybe it's because I'm with him again,_" she thought as she got up and pulled on her clothes. "_back on the TARDIS; familiar surroundings and all that stuff._"

Knowing that everyone was asleep, she quietly made her way to the engine room and moved around almost silently so she wouldn't wake anyone. Walking she silently walked around the panel, gently brushing her hand on the smooth surface taking care not to touch anything.

"What are you still doing up?"

Max turned around, hand still on the panel, to see the Doctor standing in the doorway with an amused look on his face. "I could ask you the same." She replied as he walked fully in and joined her at the panel.

"So who's the lucky guy?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

Max raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was talking about but then realized what he meant. "How'd you know?"

The Doctor raised his hand while wiggling his ring finger, "That and Jack told me."

Max shook her head while smiling and filing a reminder in her head to ask Jack about what the Doctor had exactly wondered about her, "Name's Evan."

"Any kids?"

"Five. How many Companions have you had since me?"

"Three, well four." he replied, pretending not to notice how she abruptly changed the topic. "The first one made it halfway through her second trip before wanting out."

Max laughed at the image of someone refusing to go any further with him. "Well it takes a special kind of person to travel with you."

They were silent for a minute, both not wanting to touch the subject of their last trip together but knew that they'd have to eventually. "Noticed that you seem to know your way around but I don't recall ever taking you here."

The smile faded from Max's face as she frostily replied, "Just because I stopped traveling with you didn't mean that I had to stop having adventures."

The Doctor was intrigued, from the last time he had seen her he had assumed that Max would want to settle down, "What kind of adventures?"

"I'll show you." Max said, grabbing the Doctor's hand and pulling him towards the door. Opening the door she stepped outside while being slightly surprised at not seeing Evan or someone else standing guard. "_Doctor Wier must have thought that we wouldn't be going anywhere._" she thought to herself as she led the Doctor down the familar hallways. It had been years since she had visited the Hologram Room but knew that it was the best way to show him that they really were on Atlantis.

Walking in the room, Max realized that the trip had been in vain because since she didn't have the Gene so the program wouldn't activate for her.

"What's this?" The Doctor asked as he walked over to the control podium. As he moved towards it, the podium sprang to life and started to glow.

"Uh...it's a hologram projector." she said, trying to comprehend why it had suddenly sprung to life because last time she had checked the Ancients weren't Time Lords (or from Gallifrey for that matter). Smiling she moved closer towards the Doctor and pressed a few crystals until the "welcome" message was playing.

The Doctor watch Max work and saw that she was wearing that smile that said she had something hidden up her sleeve. A women with brown hair and dressed in a white gown suddenly appeared and started talking. As she did the Doctor realized that she looked familiar but couldn't place the name with the face.

_"…in the hope of spreading new life in a galaxy where there appeared to be none. Soon the new life grew, prospered. Here…"_

Then he suddenly made the connection. Slowly walking towards the hologram he stopped just short of it and looked at the image in the face. "Chara…" he whispered, finally realizing that he _was_ on Atlantis.


	11. Hard to Explain

Max half listened to the music that was playing over the speakers as she tried to help Jack figure out what was wrong with the TARDIS; he was off with Martha getting more tools. She set aside the cover for wiring, grabbed a pair of pliers, and put the penlight between her teeth so she could work with both hands free. "_Some things never change._" She thought to herself.

While traveling with the Doctor he had picked up that she was good at mechanical things and had allowed her help whenever the ship needed repairs, but he hadn't let her drive the damn thing. It had been awhile since she had to look at the alien technology but once she got her bearings it was like riding a bike, and Max was glad to work on it again.

Finding nothing wrong with the batch of wires she moved on to the next panel and exchanged the pliers for a wrench. As she worked Max thought about a few days ago, when the Doctor finally realized that they were on Atlantis.

After seeing the hologram he had told Max of his first time here, as much yet at the same time as little as he could. There was a part of herself, the one with the degree in history, that wanted to know everything the Doctor could remember about the city but Max knew that he'd be less than forthcoming about the details. It made her wonder why he was such a private person, obviously she knew why; from what she could gather he'd lost so much but she thought that he'd be more than willing to share his travels with someone who was actually interested in them.

* * *

"So this really is Atlantis?" Martha asked as she and Jack walked down the hallway towards the Engine Room, each with arms full of repair tools and equipment.

"Yup." Jack replied, nodding his head. He had woken up a few days ago before everyone else and found the Doctor terribly excited about being on Atlantis so before Max and Martha had joined them they had sat down and he had told Jack most about his time here. Of course he didn't tell the whole story; you never got the whole truth with a man like the Time Lord, only bits and pieces over time until you could piece the whole picture together. It was like a jigsaw puzzle of someone's life.

"And both of you have been here before-"

"Well actually only the Doctor has."

"Did he say how long ago?"

"Who knows with him, but I guess it was with someone named Ace and according to him, what's here was only part of the city; the rest was actually land-based and the entire thing _much_ bigger."

"Really?" Martha asked in amazement even though she had seen more fantastical stuff than the Lost City during her travels with the Doctor, both as a companion and then as a friend.

"Apparently." Jack said with a smile. He had seen pictures of Atlantis after reaching an agreement with the SGC but that had been after the Expedition had been there for years and the city had taken on a weary look, scars from past wounds still visible. Now though the city looked bright, happy, and newly built and Jack enjoyed seeing it like that. He could tell that Max enjoyed it as well but underneath it was something that he couldn't put his finger on, a darkness underneath the smile, and that bothered Jack. But he left it alone because he also knew that when the time was right it would come out.

As they neared the Engine Room both of them could hear what sounded like opera playing and when they walked in Jack saw Max underneath the panel working. Setting his armful of tools down he walked over to where the iPod was plugged into the controls and hit 'pause'.

"I was listening to that y'know." Max replied without looking away from what she was working on.

"But it was so...cultured." Jack replied making a face that made Martha stifled a giggle as she set down her load. "You need something more upbeat...more danceable."

Max wiggled out and stood so that she was looking at Jack with a raised eyebrow. "More danceable?"

"Yeah...you gotta relax and have some fun." Jack said as he switched over to the TARDIS' music library and selected a few songs to play in succession. Almost instantly swing music started to play and Jack grabbed Martha's hand starting to dance.

While Martha had taken a few dance lessons as a child (what little girl didn't?) she hadn't done anything like this before. But Jack was an excellent teacher and kept it simple, so soon she was doing the swing and smiling along as they danced.

Max had moved to the side when Jack and Martha started to dance, laughing along as Martha had a few fumbles in the beginning and saw how they were enjoying it. Maybe Jack was right and they needed to have more fun here, after all it wasn't everyday that you were on an alien spaceship in the Lost City of Atlantis before you had actually been there.

The upbeat music finished and now a slower song started to play and Jack let go of Martha while extended his hand towards Max while flashing her his mega-watt smile, "What do you say Maxie?"

Max laughed and took his hand while saying, "Has anyone ever said no to you?"

"Not so far."

That just caused Max to laugh even more and almost trip over Jack's feet. After regaining her footing she fell easily into the rhythm of the dance. She had spent the most of her life before meeting the Doctor and joining the SGC ballroom dancing and while she couldn't have gone professional if she wanted to, she could hold her own and had done well in the few competitions she had participated in. Looking Jack in the eye they glided around the control panel in time to the music.

Martha watched the pair dance and was amazed at how well they danced together; it was almost like time had slowed and both of them could keep on dancing forever. She knew that someone like Jack would know how to dance; the man practically oozed smoothness, but was surprised that Max knew how to as well, it was something that if she wasn't seeing with her own eyes would never guess in a billion years.

Jack was surprised at how well Max was moving to the music; if someone had told them that she was one hell of a dancer he would have asked if they had been drinking too much hypervodka. But here she was, almost matching his skill and he wanted to see just how much she knew. The song ended and a new one started playing, this one another swing, and instantly Jack moved faster to keep up with the music.

Deciding to test Max's skill Jack started doing the lindy; it had been decades since he had done it, but the steps had never left his memory. Max matched his pacing and a smile started to form on her face and Jack could feel one creep onto his as well. Both of them laughing, they continued to dance; each not wanting the moment to end.

* * *

"How long has the Expedition been here?" The Doctor asked Laura Cadman as they walked down the hallway towards the storage room where the TARDIS was.

"Just over a year." Laura answered, looking at the man across from her. "But I thought that everyone at the SGC knew that."

"Ah...well we're always out and about so much that we tend to miss the news coming from there." The Time Lord hastily said as he increased the pace. He wasn't used to having a disguise come with such a complicated background; normally he just winged it and went off of the assumptions of who he was supposed to be. Reaching the doors, the Doctor paused in front of them to shift the generator in order to free a hand.

"Need help?" Laura asked as she cast a glance towards the blue box. Like everyone else who had seen it she didn't quite know how the four of them could fit in there. Cadman was sure that there was some logical explanation as to how, but wasn't sure if she wanted to know. Even though she had been on Atlantis a few months now and had seen some pretty weird stuff, this topped the list.

"No, but thanks for the offer." The Doctor said, pulling open the door and hearing music as well as laughter. Stepping inside he saw Jack dancing around the panel with Max and Martha looking on, each with a smile on their face and laughing.

Smiling, the Time Lord didn't say anything, he was just glad to have people aboard again; the TARDIS had been on his case to find another Companion, telling him that he'd get into trouble without one (which wasn't entirely without merit; before Rose he had been on his own and ended up electrocuting himself while working on the TARDIS which had caused his ninth regeneration), but after Donna's shrill voice he wanted to take a break from having someone around.

The music started to end and Jack lowered Max into a dip while grinning. Max yelped with laughter at the unexpected move and looked past her head to see red converses, then suddenly she was right side up and saw the Doctor standing in front of the door with an amused smile on his face.

"I didn't know you could dance like that." The Doctor replied to a blushing Max and a grinning Jack.

"Well all you had to do was ask." Jack said, moving past Max and towards the Doctor. "I see that you managed to get a generator."

"But only for an hour." The Doctor replied, passing the heavier object to Jack who eagerly took it and moved towards the opening in the floor. "I had a lovely chat with Doctor Weir, she's a wonderful women; absolutely brilliant in terms of diplomacy. If she ever chooses to go back to Earth I can see her going places. Anyways, I ran into her as I was going to see Doctor McKay about the generators and she asked if we'd like to go through the Stargate with a team and I told her that we would."

Max was silent at the Doctor's comment about Elizabeth; it was both a blessing and a curse to see her again, Carson as well. She had gotten to know the women over the years before the older women had been captured by the Replicators and had kept hope, along with everyone else, that she hadn't been killed by them. But since they were back in time none of that had happened yet and they had no idea what was going to happen in the future. But the last statement caught her completely by surprise. "We're what?" she asked, wondering if she had somehow hear wrong.

"Going through the Stargate or 'off-world' as she called it." The Doctor repeated, smiling.

* * *

The apartment was a mess; clothes and toys were strewn everywhere covering the floor and draped over the furniture, dishes piled in the sink waiting to be done, mail and newspapers strewn all over the dining table, and the entire place looking like a category five hurricane had hit it. With Evan's erratic work hours it was all he could do in order to make sure the kids got looked after; something had to slip.

Evan collapsed on the couch and ran a hand through his already mussed hair; today had been a day that never seemed to end. It had been quite enough in the Hub and Owen let everyone off early, they seemed to keep shorter hours now that he was in control, so Evan had decided to pick Miranda up at school. She greeted him in tears and it took most of the way home for her to calm down enough to explain what had gotten her so upset; some of the kids had teased her because of her red hair. Evan was at loss what to say because Max normally handled that sort of thing.

Now that she was gone he noticed that she handled a lot of things.

After promises of pizza and a movie Evan picked up the twins from the sitter and headed back to the apartment when his cell rang. One of Tosh's programs had caught something coming through the Rift. After promising that he was on his way, Lorne had called Anglia to see if she could watch the kids but she had turned off her cell phone and skipped lacrosse practice.

Not quite sure what to do, he ended up doing the first thing that popped into his mind; he simply took the kids to the Hub. Owen hadn't been happy but after Evan managed to convince him that if they kept them in the tourist office with Ianto they'd finish quicker than if Lorne had to drive them to a sitter, drop them off, and then drive back again.

That had been at three. They didn't finish until ten that night and even then they had only discovered that the only thing to come through was a metal glove. Owen and Tosh had freaked out; destroying the glove as soon as they figured out it resurrected people who had died violently. Evan wanted to know why they had acted that way and got the short version of what it had done to Suzie Costello and Gwen.

When they were finally done, Evan had collected the kids (who had been sleeping) and got back to the apartment just as Anglia did. Lorne and Anglia had gotten into an argument as to why she had turned off her phone and skipped practice which ended when Anglia stormed out saying that she wanted to move back home. He wasn't worried about her being out late; she was an Athosian and grew up in the Pegasus Galaxy, they taught their kids to defend themselves at an early age.

After that the twins decided they had been quite long enough and refused to settle down for Evan. It had taken him hours of holding both of them as well as walking back and forth until they finally fell asleep. That's when Evan just collapsed on the couch; he just wanted all of this to be a dream and for him to wake up next Max.

Unfortunately the dull ache in his shoulder told him that this was very much real and not a dream.

Leaning his head back, Evan wondered when Max would come back. She had been gone three weeks and he had no idea when she would appear. After the first week had passed, Owen had put in a call to Martha Jones only to find that she had failed to show up for her new job and had been missing a week as well.

Tosh guessed that the Doctor had originally come here for Martha, who Evan had learned had been traveling with him on and off through out the years, and while getting her Max and Jack saw the TARDIS and decided to go with them. That sounded like Jack to Evan but he still wondered why Max would do such a thing. Asking that question to the team hadn't gotten him anywhere, they were just as stumped as Evan as to why Max went with Jack.

The phone rang, breaking him out of his thoughts, and Lorne reached for it only to find the holder empty. He frantically searched for it, tossing clothes every which way and shoving toys to the side as it continued to ring. He finally found it wedged between the sofa seats and answered it, "Hello?"

"_Evan? It's Lydia._"

"Hey...how's it going?"

"_Fine. Sorry for calling so late, or early in your case. This is the first time all week I've gotten to myself; it's been hell over here. Is Max there?_"

"Not really," Evan replied as he heard a wail. Wincing he continued, "she had to, uh, step out for a few."

"_Really?_"

"Yeah, just needed a few things that couldn't wait until morning." Evan lied while walking towards the room where the crying was coming from.

"_Well when she gets back let her know that Crysta and I'll be leaving Friday for our little get together._"

"About that," Evan paused just outside of the door, not sure how to tell Lydia that Max was gone with no return in sight. "things have gotten a bit busy over here and I don't know if we'll have time to get away."

"_Nonsense. From the sound of things on your end you guys need a few pairs of extra hands. We're leaving Friday to help you guys out._"

"But-"

"_No buts. We're coming and that's final._"

"If you say so." Evan said slightly relived to hear that while wondering what he was going to tell them when they got here and Max was still missing. If she didn't come back that is, and he hoped that she did before they got here and save him from what the situation might look like.


	12. Middle of Nowhere

"He's cute."

Laura turned around to see who Katie Brown was talking about and saw that Captain Harkness and the Doctor were directly in their field of view, "Which one?"

"The one with the long coat on."

"The Doctor?"

"No the other one...the one with the dark blue coat. "

"It's called a greatcoat, Katie, and that's Captain Harkness."

"Is he seeing anyone?"

Laura slowly shook her head, not believing she was having this kind of conversation with Katie. The rumor mill had been buzzing since they arrived, but no one seemed to know anything about them other than they were a separate team that even Doctor Weir hadn't heard of until they showed up. And to Laura if that didn't speak special ops then nothing did.

"Oh come on, admit that he's cute."

Laura cast one last glance towards the Captain and was silent. Turning around, she slightly shrugged, "I guess, but he's not my type."

Katie smiled, smug in the knowledge that she had been proven right. "What _is_ your type then, hmm?"

Cadman felt her cheeks heat up but before she could stammer out an answer Major Lorne came up to them and said nodding his head, "There's been a change in plans Lieutenant."

"What kind of changes?" Laura asked as she stood.

"You and Brice'll be coming along with me and the Captain's team to the outpost." Evan said, as he motioned for Laura to walk with him. He knew that she'd be happy; while they had resumed missions not everyone had gotten a chance yet and most people were getting stir-crazy. Evan and Laura had been through twice but for the past few weeks had been on Atlantis so they were starting to get cabin-fever themselves.

"The outpost? I thought that there wasn't anything there."

"Apparently McKay feels otherwise; managed to convince Weir so he and Colonel Sheppard are taking a team and coming as well which is why you and Brice are going."

Laura raised an eyebrow as they walked down the hallway, "Can I ask why the sudden addition?"

"Got me…it was the Captain's suggestion."

* * *

"_Idiot_!"

Jack turned around just in time to see Max throw a mallet at him and moved to doge it. The object passed with inches to spare and hit the wall with a loud 'clang'. "What?" he asked as he hesitantly looked at the livid women across the room.

"I thought that just Martha and the Doctor were going!" Max snapped shooting Jack a thunderous look.

Jack realized she must have found out how he "suggested" that they all go through the 'gate with the Major and his team. Moving cautiously towards her he tried to explain, "If it was just the two of them their reaction would've given us away, I figured that with us along we can smooth things over."

Max just continued to glare at Jack, "Well you figured wrong."

Jack was confused as to why the sudden change in mood; she had been fine until the Doctor had mentioned they were going off world and then suddenly she turned into her own special Mister Hyde. Grabbing her wrist before she could leave he asked, "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"You tried to take off my head back there, something's up."

"Going off world with them_ isn't_ what keeping a low profile is about." Max replied as she pulled her wrist out of Jack's grip and moved towards the hallway.

"But what's the harm? Since we're posing as a special ops team its not like we're gonna be mentioned in the mission report; especially since you asked that they not talk about us to the SGC." Jack argued, still following Max. "Besides, it's too late to back out now or it'll look strange and Weir already suspects something."

She let out a frustrated sigh while realizing she wasn't going to get out of going and that she might as well play along. Gritting her teeth she said, "Fine, but only because I don't want to blow our cover."

"Good." Jack said backtracking towards the Control Panel and picking up a pair of sneakers. Tossing them to her he continued, "Put these on; heels and grass suck if you're trying to run."

Max, still mad at Jack and feeling like being difficult, stuck out her tongue at Jack while playfully throwing another tool at him which he avoided just as easily as the first with a smile on his face.

* * *

"That was _amazing_." Martha breathed after stepping through the Stargate. Walking down the steps sideways, she gazed up at the large structure; it had been amazing to see it for the first time before they left and couldn't help but wonder how the Ancients had built it. Before joining the others, Max had quickly filled her on the basics of what the Stargate was and how it worked but that hadn't stopped her eyes from going wide when she saw it activate. Fortunately everyone was busy with other things so they hadn't noticed her gawking and soon Doctor Weir had given them the go ahead.

"Never gets old, huh?" Lorne asked, as everyone else started coming through the 'gate.

"Feels like the first time." Martha replied as she finally tore her eyes from it and taking a look at her surroundings, which weren't any different from Earth. They could be in some forest preserve if she hadn't known better; the trees, grass, and even the sky looked like it did back in Cardiff and even London.

As they walked towards the abandoned outpost Lorne, who had taken point, tried to figure out just who the newcomers were; they were unlike any SG team he had dealt with and that intrigued him. When they had been waiting for everyone to step through the 'gate Martha had been the only one of the group to seem stunned by the towering object, Jack and the Doctor had been slightly amused, while Piper had ignored the activating wormhole all together; focusing on the hustle and bustle of the room instead.

Out of the four Piper had been the only one to wear the tac vests that the Colonel had brought up from the armory; the others saying that they didn't need them. Sheppard refused to take them off world unless they put the vests on, but the Doctor assured them that they'd be perfectly fine without them. Hearing most of the exchange, Lorne knew that the Colonel wasn't happy that he couldn't force them to wear one since they weren't part of the military or civilian contingent on Atlantis, but at the same time he could understand that while the four of them were here they were Sheppard's responsibility as well as Weir's; even if they were here unofficially.

They arrived at the entrance to the outpost and Max watched as Colonel Sheppard set up himself in the outside to wait having left Cadman and Teyla to guard the Gate.

"Mind if we take a look?" the Doctor asked as McKay and his team headed into the ruins with their equipment.

"Feel free; just take Major Lorne and Lieutenant Brice with you." John replied, he expected this to be a relatively simple mission; there was no one on the planet, the initial flyby and another one before they left had shown no life signs in the area surrounding the ruins or on the entire planet. At first they had thought it odd, since normally if there was a Stargate or a surviving outpost that there would be some kind of settlement nearby but apparently this was the exception.

* * *

"I remember this place." The Doctor commented as he walked into the main chamber of the outpost. "Been here before, when they were just building this place. Don't know why they left it; had a lot of potential."

Rodney paused and looked up at the dark-haired man with a surprised expression, "You're an Ancient?"

The Doctor looked offended while Max and Martha started giggling with amusement and Jack looked away in order to keep a straight face. "Nine hundred isn't _that_ old." he replied tersely, as he pulled out his glasses and started to read the text on the walls. "What exactly are you trying to do here?"

"We found mention of it on Atlantis, now we're trying to figure out what they used this place for." Rodney said as he glanced at the readings on his tablet. Looking back down at the panel in front of him Rodney glanced at the tablet again before pressing a few of the stone panels. Glancing up he saw the Doctor staring at a number of the glyphs with the kind of intensity that _he_ got sometimes when there was a particularly challenging problem.

But before Rodney had the chance to find out if the Doctor could read the script he realized that the ground was starting to shake. Pausing he looked up to see that everyone else had paused in their work and was looking around for the source of the disturbance. Glancing at his tablet McKay's eyes went wide as the readings started to go haywire, "_Oh, that's not good._"

Evan paused in looking around the room when something felt slightly off and glanced over to see McKay looking troubled. By this time a loud rumbling started to fill his ears and Lorne made a snap decision. "Pack it up people, we leaving." He snapped as he grabbed the edge of a panel in order to keep upright.

At once everyone started moving; closing laptops, disconnecting wires, and putting things back into the crates they had been carried in. Fortunately the people McKay had chosen to bring along had been with the Expedition since the beginning so they knew that things could go from calm to incredibly insane in a relatively short time so there wasn't much time wasted by them panicking.

Max stumbled and was headed for the ground when she felt an arm catch her. Looking up she saw that it was Evan and immediately felt her cheeks heat up. "T-t-thanks." She stammered, struggling to get her balance back.

"Don't mention it, now get out of here." Lorne said, somewhat distractedly. Most of McKay's people had left but there were a few who were still trying to pack up, "Leave the stuff, it can be replaced."

"I'm sure that we can save some of it." Max argued, knowing that while they now had the Daedalus to bring in supplies, it still took time and that it could be months until they got replacements.

Lorne looked at Piper and made another split second decision, "Fine but only what you can carry."

"Will do." Max replied heading for one of the containers, stumbling a few times as she made her way over. When she finally reached one Jack had joined her and grabbed a handle while asking, "Have you gone insane?"

"Depends on your definition of it." She shot back as they headed towards the door. Just then they all heard a cracking sound and paused looking up in time to see pieces of the ceiling start to break apart and fall towards the ground.

"Look out!" Jack yelled, yanking Max back seconds before a chunk of ceiling fell right where she had been standing. He knew that they didn't have that much time until the entire outpost collapsed and that every second counted. Somehow the others knew that as well because they all dropped the containers they were carrying and started towards the door. It was slow going because now in addition to the falling fragments the floor was starting to break up so they had to be even more aware of their surroundings so they didn't trip and fall.

Max tripped over a large crack and started to go down. Stretching her arm out she grabbed the nearest body next to her and an arm clasped around her to steady her. Looking at her savior, she saw that it was Evan. Her cheeks heating up instantly, she gave him a faint smile despite the seriousness of the situation and wondered why she was suddenly acting like a teenage school girl around him. She knew the outcome of all this; why was she letting her emotions get the best of her?

She was pulled out of these thoughts by a loud crashing and broke his gaze in time to see an avalanche of rocks fall in front of the doorway, effectively blocking it. All of them stopping, they knew that their chance for survival had just gone from slim to none.

Evan felt his heart rate increase as he stared at the pile of rubble that now covered their only means of escaping this place. But before he could figure out what to do next, he felt the floor finally breaking up. He opened his mouth in surprise and just as they were starting to descend with the stone felt Piper reaching for his arm in surprise.

Just as suddenly as the floor gave way he found himself falling and Piper losing her grip on him. Glancing down he barely had time to process that the floor was rushing towards him before everything went dark.


	13. Alone, Together

The sun tried to burn through the haze of dust that still remained in the air as it surrounded the area of the Ancient outpost that was now a large pile of rubble; the only tell-tale signs of the fact that a large structure had once stood there proudly.

John had quickly abandoned his vest and P90 in order to sift through the stone more efficiently but had left them nearby in case something else happened. It had all happened so fast; at the first sign of trouble he had called Cadman and Teyla to come to the outpost and help with any extraction efforts. He had hoped that none would be needed and was slightly relieved when the science team and McKay came stumbling out of the outpost followed by the Doctor and Martha. A few seconds passed but no one else came out. Worry growing inside of him, John had asked where everyone else was but all Martha could tell him was that they had been behind her and now they weren't.

Just as he had started towards the building to drag the Major and everyone else out if it came to it, the entire thing fell down on itself and while he tried to keep his balance from the tremors that followed John hoped that the Major and everyone else had managed to get out before the thing fell. But as the dust settled he was left looking at the place where the outpost had once stood but was now just a big pile of rocks. Instantly moving towards the pile, he yelled for Cadman to run back to the gate in order to inform Atlantis of their new situation and to request more teams to help with the rescue effort and then starting to direct everyone as to how they should start digging through the collapsed structure.

The _Daedalus _was on Earth, but had it been in Pegasus Sheppard would have asked for them to lend a hand in getting everyone out and saving a whole lot of time in the process.

But that had been almost two hours ago and even with the addition of two extra teams it was slow going. They had to be careful of loose rocks as well as the larger slabs shifting and every so often they called out the names of those buried while listening for a response. They hadn't gotten one yet but there was still hope that at least one of them was still alive.

"_John?_"

The voice broke John out of his thoughts and he realized that it was Elizabeth. Straightening up he gazed over the landscape as he replied, "Sheppard here."

"_Have you found them yet?_"

"No, we're still looking and I could use two more teams over here."

"_Sorry John, but I can't spare any more since most are off-world right now. I need you and everyone else to come back; we need to figure out what happened there._"

"They could still be under here and why do you need all of us? Rodney was the one who triggered the collapse." John argued while shooting a glance towards Rodney who was helping Teyla clear a rather large piece of stone.

Rodney let go of the piece of rubble and heard John's comment about how he caused the building to fall down. "We don't know if I did." He shot back.

John ignored Rodney's protest and continued, "McKay can go back and figure out while we continue looking."

Elizabeth was silent for a few seconds, thinking. True Major Lorne and the rest could still be alive but that hope was dimming with each passing minute that they weren't found.

But they didn't leave their people behind.

"_Fine, send Rodney back so he can figure out what happen._" Sheppard finally heard Elizabeth reply.

"Thanks." John replied, moving towards a new pile of rubble.

"_John._"

There was something in her voice that made him pause, "Elizabeth?"

"_You need to consider the fact that if you haven't found them-_"

"We don't leave our people behind." John interrupted, not wanting her to finish the sentence even though he knew what the rest of it was.

"_I know, it's just that you might need to consider it._"

"I'm not writing them off until we find them." John stated, indicating with his tone that he wasn't about to give up on another member of his team just because there wasn't any proof to the contrary.

* * *

Max was slowly becoming aware of the throbbing in her head as well as in her arm and wondered how badly she was hurt. Slowly opening her eyes she braced for the glaring lights of the infirmary but found that it was pitch black. Opening them fully, she stared at the inky darkness and reached out with a hand to get a feeling for her surroundings.

Her hand hit something solid and Max carefully felt along it finding that it was large and rough. Realizing that it was some of the stone from the outpost, she figured out that after she had fallen some of the pieces must have covered her and it was damn luck that she hadn't been crushed underneath them. But now she needed to get out and there was little room for her to move around. "Anyone there?" she called out.

"Piper?" Evan called out, looking around the area for where the voice was coming from.

"Ev-Major?"

"Yeah, where are you?"

"Under some debris, where are you?"

"Out here, I'll dig you out." Evan replied as he walked towards where he thought her voice was coming from. Arriving at the area he started to remove the bits of stone with Max helping when she could. Finally, after a few minutes of digging, Evan reached her and helped her out.

Max climbed out and just as she moved to grab Evan's hand spots suddenly appeared in front of her eyes and a wave of dizziness washed over her as she bit down on her lip to keep out from yelling, the pain coming out of nowhere, and her knees started to buckle.

"You ok?" Evan asked as he moved to catch Piper before she hit the ground and injured herself further. Setting her gently down, he picked up his flashlight and pointed it towards her, making sure that the beam was directed away from Piper's eyes. Since she had taken the same hard fall as he had Lorne knew that she'd have the same killer headache he first had upon waking up, although his was now just a dull ache, but at the same time knew the question wasn't necessary since he could tell by the look on her face that Piper had hurt herself.

"Not really." Max managed to grit out as the pain subsided enough for her to figure out that her left arm was where it hurt the most. As she stared at it, Max tried to move the appendage but even the thought of it made her feel lightheaded.

As Piper swayed where she sat, Evan automatically placed a hand on her to steady her and when he did the action sent a shiver down his spine. Finding that odd, he wondered what that was for a second until he realized that he needed to focus on what was happening in the present.

Setting his flashlight down so that the end was on the floor, Lorne maneuvered himself to take a look at her arm. It didn't look broken, but he didn't have a degree in medicine so it was only a guess based on his experience in the field. "Hurt much?" he asked as he took off his tac vest followed by his BDU jacket.

"Yeah…only when I move it. Or look at it, or, ya know, breathe." Max said wearily, a ghost of a smile appearing to try and lighten the moment.

"I don't think it's broken-"

"Trust me; it's broken."

"too bad, but we should keep it still as much as possible." Evan finished as if he hadn't been interrupted. After folding his jacket to make a temporary sling, he put it on her and made sure that it would hold.

Max's eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness by now and the fact that Evan had the torchlight on the floor allowed the light to flood the area she could somewhat see that stones of every size and shape littered the ground and there was a faint haze of dust still in the air. "How long was I out?"

"'bout an hour." Evan replied as he stood, picked the flashlight up and shining it at the ceiling. They had fallen a good distance, at least thirty feet if he had to guess, and he could just spot the area they had fallen through; a good size hole with a few of the larger slabs of rock poking through. Occasionally a light shower of pebbles and dust came raining down on them. "_There goes any hope of trying to dig out._" He thought while inwardly sighing.

Lorne had been the first one to come back to the land of the living and had checked to make sure that everyone else had made it, finding Brice and Captain Harkness under some of the larger pieces of stone, and from the angle the rocks lay over them it hadn't been hard for him to guess that they were both gone. But he still checked to make sure and hadn't felt a pulse on either. Now he just had to figure out a way of telling Piper that they were the only ones left.

But before he could think of anything to say, the sound of rocks clattering together reached his ears and then they both heard, "I could use a little help over here."

"Jack," Max asked as Evan helped her up. "that you?"

"No, it's the Easter Bunny." Jack replied, wiggling around in the little room the space afforded him. "As much as I love small spaces care to get me out?" It had been years since he had been buried alive and while he had mostly gotten over his fear of enclosed spaces there was still a lingering fear of them.

Brushing the grit from their hands both Max and Evan moved towards where Jack was and after working to move the boulders they finally managed to free him and as the Captain was standing, brushing dust from his coat, Evan asked what had been on his mind, "How'd you survive? When I checked you weren't breathing."

Max raised an eyebrow at Evan's revelation and wondered if that was true because Jack _had_ been buried under a good amount of rubble. But he seemed fine, not a scratch on him which only made her wonder what exactly had happened after they hit the ground.

Jack just smiled and replied, "Well obviously I was since I'm standing here; can't get rid of me that easy." Jack left out the fact that he _had_ died, crushed by the rocks. Fortunately it had been quick but at the same time it had felt like every other single time he'd died; falling into the darkness until it swallowed him and feeling nothing until he was jerked back into the land of the living. Despite losing count of how many times he'd kicked the bucket so far he still hoped that this time would be the last time he died and not come back to life.

The excuse that Jack made was flimsy enough to hold up if they didn't think about it too much and to keep them from doing that Jack looked around where they were while asking, "So where are we?"

Max checked to see if her vest still had a torch and that it wasn't broken. Taking it out to see if there was any damage she saw that the lens had cracked and popped out and that the frame had taken a good beating. Sighing she tossed the now useless torch down to the ground and looked around with Jack with the help of Evan's.

"Looks like some kind of passageway." She commented moving closer to the wreckage of their fall to see if anything could be salvaged, but as she shifted through the debris with her foot all she found were bits and pieces of the equipment that they had when the structure caved in.

"Good, that means there's a way out."

"True, but it's already blocked." Evan said, pushing aside fragments of what had once been a laptop computer. He had gone off in search of a way out and had wandered down the corridor until coming to a dead end. By the look of the seal it had been placed there deliberately, but if to keep something out or something in Evan couldn't tell; but since he had read enough former mission reports, and since this was the Ancients they were dealing with Lorne thought it was safe to assume that they wanted to keep something out.

He just hoped that what ever was down here had decided to die a long time ago.

"Well that just leaves no option but to go the other way." Jack replied as he gave his coat one final adjustment and moving down the opposite end of the hallway.

"What about Brice?" Max asked Evan as they trailed after Jack. "Should we wait for him or did he go ahead?"

"He didn't make it." Evan replied, avoiding Max's gaze. He'd lost team members before; it was part of the job and had only been reinforced since joining SGC, but it still hurt when it happened. Not waiting for a reply Lorne quickened his pace and strode past Jack, not saying anything.

Max's eyes went wide when she found out that Brice was dead. Not knowing what to think she followed the other two silently. She shifted the make-shift sling and winced as pain flashed across her arm.

Jack paused and saw Max flinch in pain. Waiting until she had caught up with him he asked in a low tone, "You ok?"

"Fine as one can be with a broken arm." Max replied, wondering how long it was going to take them to get out and away from this place.

Jack noted the sarcasm and chose not to say anything; he couldn't fault her for being just a tad tetchy at the moment. Checking his pockets Jack found what he was looking for and handed it to Max while saying, "Take these; it'll take away the pain but won't knock you out."

Max could just make out the small pills and wondered how that was possible. But right now her body was in so much pain that she didn't care and dry-swallowed it.

As they walked she got the odd feeling that they were going deeper underground; it felt that it was cooler than before and the floor was gently sloping downwards. "Doesn't it feel like we're going deeper instead of the opposite?" she asked as they paused for a few minutes.

Evan was silent for a few seconds before realizing that Piper was right and it _did_ feel like they were going down instead of up. "I wouldn't worry about it," he said as they started walking again. "I'm sure that it loops up."

"If you say so." Max replied, not fully convinced. "_Oh well, we'll just have to wait and see._"


	14. Butterflies and Hurricanes

They traveled down the semi-dark hallway for some time; none of them knew how long it really was since their watches had broken in the fall, when suddenly Evan's light showed a doorway.

"Any idea what's inside?" Jack asked, as they stood in front of it. He put a hand on his Webley, which fortunatly hadn't been damaged by the fall or rocks crushing him, just in case it decided to open of its own accord and something not so friendly decided to jump out at them.

"Nope." Evan replied as he brushed the layers of dust and cobwebs off of the side, trying to see if there was some kind of markings that could tell them what the room was for. As he did the door slid open with a faint hiss and all three of them could smell the rank, stale air that wafted out from the room.

Taking a step back Evan and Jack raised their guns incase something inside decided to come out at that moment, but the room was still. "Should we go in?" Jack asked, breaking the silence that followed.

"I dunno..." Max trailed off, knowing that since the ground above them used to be an Ancient outpost it would be safe to assume that this had been apart of it as well and when it came to the Ancients it was better to assume the worst; who knew what they had stored in there.

"Can't be too bad." Evan said, taking a step forwards into the room. Knowing he should follow the 'if you don't know what it is then don't touch it' rule, however he couldn't help but wonder what was inside.

Jack gave a quick wink to Max, to reassure her that it would be alright, before following the Major into the room. Max watched the two men go inside and reluctantly followed them; she just knew that if she didn't then they were bound to get them into some kind of trouble.

As Lorne set foot into the room the lights flickered for a few seconds and then came on. He could tell that the Ancients had once used it; there were control panels facing away from the door as well as to the side of it. In the center of the room there was a smaller chamber, its walls made of a transparent material with a raised floor also divided into segments. Everything was covered in layer after layer of dust and cobwebs, with some of the equipment looking like they were inoperable due to millennia of unuse.

"Hey that's a neat trick, how'd you do that?" Jack asked as he saw the lights come on in response to Lorne's presence.

"Probably sensed the Gene." Lorne replied walking over to one panel.

Jack turned to see Max walk in and said, "Do you have the Gene as well?"

Max just shook her head, "No; Doctor Beckett's shot didn't work for me." Walking further into the room, she saw that the room had been some kind of lab but what for she still had no idea and hoped that they could figure out without dying.

"I thought Doc only gave the shots to personnel on Atlantis." Evan commented as he stopped at one particular panel and saw that through the layers of dust and grime there was writing.

"I wa-he gave it to me when he was still at the SGC."

"Oh, did he give it to the rest of your team?"

"No, we came after the original Expedition left." Jack said while giving Max a look. She just looked back at him telling him without words to shut-up about the subject.

Evan finished brushing off the panel and as he did it suddenly started to power up. "Whoa." He said, taking a step back and raising his P90; not that it would really do anything, as the others looked his way.

"What did you do?" Max asked as she moved towards the now glowing panel.

"I was just trying to see what was written on here."

"You can read Ancient?" Max looked at him quizzically. She hadn't known that in all the years they had been married, but then again she hadn't asked so for all she knew he actually did.

"No, but I was hoping that you could."

"Can you?" Jack asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Max shook her head, "No; I tried but never got the hang of Latin. Too many verbs for me to remember."

Lorne shrugged, "We should remember where this is so when we get back to Atlantis we can let the linguists have a crack at it."

"In the middle of the long dark tunnel, got it." Max replied dryly while Jack tried to hide a smirk.

Lorne just gave a half-smile to show that he was somewhat amused at the comment and while moving away from the panel he gave the room one last glance before deciding that there wasn't anything more they could learn from what they already had. "There's nothing here that we can use so we should get going."

"I can agree with that." Max said as she moved towards the door; the faster they got back to Atlantis the better for everyone involved. The others weren't far behind her and soon all three of them had exited out of the room.

A few seconds later a mist started to appear from the top of the platform; to the side of the chamber and at first it was light, if anyone had been in the room they wouldn't have been able to see it but as time passed it increased in thickness until it was plainly visible. Then the smooth top began to break up as another chamber began to rise up from the bottom.

* * *

The sun was beating down on Martha's back and as she straightened up, wiped the sweat from her forehead while wondering how long they'd been at this; seemed like forever but in reality she knew that it could've only been a number of hours. She refused to believe that they were dead, but they still hadn't found Jack or anyone else and part of her thought that since they hadn't been unburied then it was a lost cause but a larger part and the doctor in her told her that they were still alive.

Wiping the layer of sweat from her forehead, she looked over towards the Doctor and asked, "Couldn't you just use your screwdriver to break the rocks up?"

The Doctor paused as well and shook his head, "I tried that before, when I was here the first time. The stone's too dense for the screwdriver to break up. Even if I could how are we going to explain it to everyone else?"

Martha's shoulders slumped when she heard him say that and wondered if they were actually going to find them. Granted they might find Jack, but that was only because he'd come back to life and be digging his way out, but as for the others…Martha wondered how they were going to explain Max's disappearance. But until Colonel Sheppard gave up, the rest of them had to keep hope alive as well even if it was growing fainter each hour that passed with no one surfacing.

John felt the sweat trickle down his back and soak into shirt which had been transformed to a grungy black as dust stuck to it. Four hours had passed since the building collapsed and they still weren't any closer to finding Lorne or the rest. Inwardly cursing he knew that if they didn't have a steady supply of oxygen they might be starting to suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning...if they were still alive.

At that thought, John mentally shoved it away; of course they had a steady supply and they were going to be found. As he stood up to relieve his aching back, John's headset clicked and then he heard, "_Colonel, the Wraith just came through the Gate and are heading your way!_"

* * *

"Colonel Sheppard, you read me?"

"He's not going to hear you."

Lorne just cast a glance towards Piper and chose to ignore her comment. True John hadn't responded to his calls the last five times he'd tried but that didn't mean he ever would. Most likely the layers of rock were affecting the signal and it was only a matter of time until Evan found a clear pocket and could let them know that they were still alive and breathing.

They had no idea how long the passageway ran and Evan hoped that they'd find some kind of exit. Just after the thought entered his mind the beam of his torch caught the edge of another doorway, this one very similar to the first one they had encountered and, just like the first one, the door slid open.

Not even bothering to ask if they should check it out, Evan stepped inside and heard the others follow him. The inside of the lab was almost the same as the first but there were a few things different; in the center of the lab there was a chamber with its door wide open and there were fresh tracks leading away from the chamber.

Max saw the tracks as well and got the feeling that there was something that wasn't right about all of this, besides the fact that there were fresh tracks in a room otherwise covered in dust, but what it was she couldn't put her finger on it. Eyes scanning the room she caught sight of what looked like to be a large map to the side. Walking over to it she thought, "_It would be nice if there was a giant 'You are here' sticker to show us how much farther we have to go._"

"You ok?"

Max turned to her left to see Jack standing at her side. "What do you mean?" she said, turning back to face the display.

"Ever since you heard about Brice you've been quiet."

"Maybe I have more important things to think about."

"Such as…"

"Like how we're gonna get out of here."

Jack didn't respond, he just glanced at her and then walked away from her towards Lorne. There would be plenty of time after they got out to find out was really bothering her.

"There's nothing here, we should get moving." Evan stated, stepping back from the panel he had been looking at and heading towards the door. Max and Jack silently followed him and once they had all exited back into the hallway resumed their trek down the dark passageway.

After a few minutes of resuming their journey Jack felt a cool breeze waft across his face as did Max and Evan. They all paused and looked at each other to confirm that they had in fact felt it; that it hadn't been one of them and then they felt it again, still faint, so they knew that they weren't losing their minds.

Max allowed a small smile to appear on her face, they were finally going to get out of here. "Where's the breeze coming from?" she asked looking around for the source of the wind while glad that they were finally getting out.

"Somewhere up ahead." Evan said, nodding his head in the direction he thought the wind was coming from. They started walking again and this time their pace picked up, the breeze seeming to revitalize their spirit by letting them know that they were getting closer to reaching the end of their trek.

As they moved Max couldn't help but get the feeling that they were being followed. She knew that it sounded silly, they were the only ones down here, but it was still there the same. Pausing, she let Jack pass her while casting a glance back down the way they had come. Only the darkness greeted her she Max shook her head to get rid of the thoughts and continued after the boys.

Evan shined his torch down the path to see how much farther they had to go and saw that the trail ended abruptly. "You're kidding me." He said while looking at the pile of rocks that blocked their way, hating to think that they had come all this way to be stopped.

Looking up with the help of the light he saw that the pile was really the bottom of a wall that extended up. Clicking off the torch he put it away while saying, "We should be able to climb up without too much trouble."

Suddenly Max heard the faint whine of gears moving and turned around to see lights in the distance. Eyes going wide, she reached out for Jack and gave the sleeve of his jacket a tug. "Uh, Jack?"

"What?" Jack asked turning towards Max. Then he saw the lights and felt dread rise in his chest. "Damn it."

Evan was a few feet up when he paused to see if the others were following him and saw that they were still at the bottom. "Hey," he called down to them. "you guys coming?"

Then he head a single word that sent chills down his spine, "Exterminate!"


	15. Darkshines

This was not the time for them to abandon reason and panic.

But Max couldn't help and do anything but that. "_Shit._" She thought to herself as both her and Jack continued to stare at the twin lights advancing towards them.

Jack snapped out of his daze and moved into action. Quickly he grabbed Max's uninjured arm and shoved her towards the slope while pulling out his gun and, even though he knew it wasn't going to do anything, fired off several shots.

Lorne had gotten used to gunfire long before this but when he suddenly heard shots reverberate it startled him, causing him to slip slightly. After regaining his foothold, he turned around to see Jack making his way towards him with a determined look plastered on his face and gun in his hand.

"What's going on?" he asked as Jack paused only long enough to holster his weapon. While Evan hadn't gotten a glimpse of the person/thing/entity that had uttered that single bone-chilling word, he figured it must have been one hell of a nasty if Jack was trying to scamper up like there was no tomorrow.

"I'll explain later." Jack gritted out as he moved to grip an outcropping of rocks. After firing he started up the rocks like hell and hadn't looked back to see if by some miracle the bullets had hit the damned thing, halting its progress. "_Somehow I don't think I'm that lucky._"

However, the question that was burning Jack's mind was how hell Daleks were in the Pegasus Galaxy. The Doctor had never said anything about ever running into them while he was here and had never come across any mention of the things in any of the SGC reports he had read.

But there would be time to find the answer to that later, right now he was more concerned with getting out of here and burying that son of a bitch before it got out and more followed.

Max lost her footing and while gritting her teeth in frustration regained it, then continued back up the slope; not caring that she had torn her trousers in the process. "_C'mon Maxie,_" she told herself as she grabbed onto the rocks in order to pull herself up. "_this shouldn't be too hard for you. This is just like when you were with the Athosians and you had to help hide the weapons cache._" Max flinched slightly as the sharp edge of a rock sliced through the skin on her arm. "_Yeah...just like hiding the weapons cache._"

She looked up to see how far ahead the others were and was dismayed to see that they were already half-way up while she was only a quarter of the way. "_I'd be right up there with them if it wasn't for this stupid arm._" Having the appendage tied up was getting to be more of a hindrance than help and right now she needed all the speed she could get. Pausing, she steadied herself and, somewhat awkwardly, removed the make-shift sling then since there wasn't much time she could waste fiddling with it, tossed it down. Gingerly moving her right arm she gripped the rock and pulled up. Pain shot through her arm; Jack's industrial pain killers must have started wearing off, but at least she was moving slightly faster than before.

Biting back a yell, Max continued her slow progress up the slope. Then for some reason, she decided to look down and saw more that the original twin lights at the base. "_Fuck._" She thought as she continued on her journey up.

* * *

"_Colonel the Wraith just came through the Gate and are heading your way!_"

Just after he heard those words John could faintly hear the buzz of the darts. Knowing that everyone had heard the warning, John looked around for the closest cover and while he knew that it wouldn't do that much good in the long run hopefully it would buy them some time. "Head for the trees!" he called out as he sprinted for his gear.

Just after the words had left his mouth two Darts flew past them and circled around to pass them again.

"Damn it." John breathed as he ran with everyone else across the open field.

The Doctor had paused when Colonel Sheppard had shouted, as did Martha and everyone else, wondering what was going on. Then two ships flew over them and everyone bolted towards the outcropping of trees that was at the other end of the open field. It hadn't been that much of a stretch to figure out that the ships weren't good and after glancing at each other both the Doctor and Martha ran with the others. This wasn't the first time he'd had to run for his life, and it wouldn't be the last so the Doctor wasn't worried about that, it was that everyone seemed to panic at the mere sight of the ships that gave him cause for concern.

But he'd have plenty of time to ask questions when they _weren't_ running for their lives.

John looked up to see the Darts coming around for a second run and knew that the pilots would have the group in their sights. No sooner had the thought appeared in his mind then he saw the almost-opaque blue beam that Wraith used to cull with and realized it was headed straight towards Martha.

Martha saw the beam sweeping towards her and dived to the side, rolling as she did. After the year that never was she had gotten so used to being in top physical shape that she had continued training even when there wasn't any need to, although when she was with UNIT it had been required but even after leaving she had continued, and was glad that it was coming in handy as it passed with inches to spare. Getting up almost immediately she started to run again and soon reached the tree line.

The Doctor wasn't far behind Martha and soon the entire group was out of the open. "What are those things?" he asked as they started to move through the trees.

John turned to give the Doctor a questioning look, "Wraith. How long have you been with the SGC?"

"Oh it's hard to say. Although sometimes it feels like just last week." The Doctor replied with a smile while mentally making a note to ask Max for a complete run-down about the SGC and Atlantis after they got out of this mess; having to fake his way through pointed questions was getting to be too much.

There was something about the answer that didn't settle right with John but he pushed it to the back of his mind because there were more important things at the moment; they needed to find a cave or something relatively solid that was big enough for all of them to hide in because he knew from experience that trees alone wouldn't keep the Wraith from finding them.

Tapping his headset he said, "Sheffield, dial Atlantis as soon as the Gate shuts off and tell Weir what's happening."

"_Yes sir._"

John looked at the group and knew that they had to find those caves now. Fortunately when they had done a flyby of the area they had spotted a few, but that had been up in the air and they were on the ground so it wasn't going to be easy as to figuring which direction they were.

Just then his radio crackled to life, "_Colonel Sheppard, you there?_"

Started at hearing the voice, he replied with a mixture of surprise and caution, "Major Lorne?"

* * *

Evan reached the top just behind Jack and was just about to ask where Piper was when Jack spoke up, "You got any rope?"

"Sorry?"

"Rope; got any? As well as explosives, preferably C4?" The C4 might not do anything to the Daleks structurally, but Jack could use the stuff to trigger a cave-in and hopefully stop them in their tracks long enough for them to get away.

"I do." Evan replied, unclasping his pack and letting it fall to the ground. Rummaging around it he managed to find everything and handing the items to Jack said, "It's all I got."

Jack took everything Lorne handed to him and as he tied one end to a large boulder and the other around a charge while asking, "How fast can you run?"

"Pretty fast. Why?" Evan asked, raising an eyebrow. He had a pretty good idea what Jack was planning to do but wondered why.

"Because I don't think you want to get caught in another cave-in." Jack let go of the rest of the rope and tossed it down the edge. "Max, can you plant the charge on the wall? Then grab the rope and we'll pull you up." He called out.

"Will do." Max worked fast; planting the charge then looping the rope into a foothold and slipping it under her shoe.

"Finished." she called up, readjusting her hold on it and glad that Jack had decided not to wait for her to climb up under her own power; they needed as much of a head start as they could get. They needed to stop the Daleks before they got out and started running all over Pegasus.

Evan grabbed hold of the rope behind Jack and they slowly started to pull Piper up. After a few minutes of pulling she was finally up all the way and dusting off her clothes. She looked at Jack and said, "We have a problem; there are more."

"How many?" Jack asked not surprised the least as he walked over to a spot that looked like it could take the house down if blown to bits.

"At least three that I saw, there could be even more."

"Can someone explain to me what's going on?" Evan asked rather sharply, wanting to know what the hell those things down there were, how both Jack and Piper seemed to know how to take deal with them, and why Jack had called her Max…things were getting too strange even for Pegasus.

"When we get out of here." Max replied, reaching towards him with her one good arm, turning him around, and then gently (but firmly) pushing Lorne forwards. As they ran Lorne's radio crackled to life and they heard, "_Sheffield, dial Atlantis as soon as the Gate shuts off and tell Weir what's happening._"

"_Yes sir._"

Glad that the signal had only been blocked, Lorne reached for his radio and after activating it said, "Colonel Sheppard, you there?"

There was a pause and then, "_Major Lorne?_"

Evan could hear the confusion and surprise in John's voice and wondered exactly how much time had passed since the building had collapsed as well as what was going on that warranted that amount of emotion. But there were more important things to think about at the moment (like getting out of the cave before it collapsed) so he just said, "Yes sir. But we've got a little problem."

"_Seems like we all have one right now._"

Jack finished setting the last charge and as he did looked up and saw lights rising up from the blackness. "Shit." He breathed, frozen to the ground for the moment. Then he snapped out of it, turned around and ran like hell towards the others. He caught up quickly, grabbed hold of Max's uninjured arm and pulled her with him as he continued running.

"What's going on?" Max asked as she tried to keep up with Jack who was running hell bent; it had surprised her when he had come up like that and grabbed her.

"Change in plans." Jack said as looked up and saw that they were at the mouth of the cave. As soon as he had stepped onto the grass Jack flipped open the switch to the detonator and pressed the button.


	16. Highway to Hell

Jack activated the detonator and the charges exploded, sending the trio flying; thrown by the shock wave while chunks of stone and dust flew through the air and pelted the ground as well as Jack, Max, and Lorne. The ground shook from the initial explosion and the resulting cave in. Jack had made the decision so last minute that there hadn't been time to warn them so as a result everyone had been caught by surprise.

As the debris started to settle Jack climbed to his feet, helping Max up as well. "You ok?" he asked as he saw her grimace and noticed that she looked rather pale.

"Just peachy." Max gritted out, her arm feeling like someone was continually stabbing it with pin and needles while throbbing with every heartbeat. Looking around she saw the large chucks of rock and realized how lucky they had been that they hadn't been crushed by the projectiles. Still holding onto Jack she looked up at him, "You think it stopped them?"

"Not at all," Jack said, looking at the fallen cave as well. "but it should slow them long enough to let us get outta here."

Lorne looked at the pair and couldn't help wonder again how they knew so much about those things. As he stood, Evan reached for his radio and saw that in the latest fall it had been crushed. Growling with frustration he took the pieces out and threw them to the ground; it was useless now. "Then I suggest that we do just that." He said, starting to move away from the debris.

Out of the corner of her eye Max saw Jack follow Evan but she stayed in place looking at the ruins. Max knew that they needed to run, to get far away from this place as they could before the Dalek's made their way through the rubble but for some reason her feet refused to move; maybe the shock of everything that had happened was finally catching up to her and it was rendering her immoble or it was the fact that she had come close to dying so many times during the course of the day that made her realize that they were playing with something far greater than any of them could imagine.

Jack cast a glance backwards to see Max still rooted to the same spot and he paused, not sure what was going on. They didn't have time to dawdle; they needed to rejoin the group and tell the Doctor what was going on so they could stop it before it got out of hand. "Ma-Piper!" he yelled, catching the slip. "Let's go!"

Max snapped her head up when Jack yelled at her and after one last glance at the pile of stones fell into step behind Jack and Evan.

* * *

Everyone paused when they heard the sound of an explosion and John could tell that it was close by from the way the ground trembled and how loud it was. "What the hell was that?" he muttered to himself as he reached for his radio and called Lorne, "That was one hell of an explosion, was that you Major?"

There was static in response and John tried again but got the same. Hoping that it was the Major's radio malfunctioning as a result from the blast, John looked at the area where the explosion had come from and could faintly see smoke winding up from the treetops.

He could hear the Darts in the background and knew that the remaining Wraith would make their way towards that area to investigate what had happened and that meant he had to get everyone out of here. As if reading his mind John's radio crackled to life and he heard, "_Colonel, we just got through to Atlantis and they're sending two Jumpers. Should be here as fast as they're able._"

"Good, we'll be waiting." John replied, hoping that the Jumpers would beat the Darts. They needed to move away from this place and fast. He motioned for Cadman and the others and quickly relayed instructions; split up and head in different directions. That way the Wraith would hopefully be distracted long enough for the Jumpers to arrive with little trouble.

After dividing everyone up John took his group (which consisted of himself, the Doctor, and Martha) towards where the explosion had come from. He knew that it was foolish, stupid even, to go towards the area but he couldn't help be curious at to how it had occurred; when they first surveyed the planet they hadn't found anybody within a fifty mile radius of the 'gate and complex. But since there had been numerous caves it was entirely possible that there was a population here and they lived underground in order to avoid the Wraith.

"_But if that was true then surely the scanners would have picked them up._" John thought to himself as they made their way through the foliage.

Martha wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead and took off her jacket as she followed the Doctor and John, it had been cool enough in the shade they had first been in but now that they were moving the temperature seemed to be increasing. "Shouldn't we be heading away from the blast site?" she asked the Doctor.

The Doctor smiled and slightly chucked; he wasn't surprised that John was taking them towards it. Looking at Martha he replied, "If it was me you know that I'd be taking you and Colonel Sheppard along as well."

Martha chuckled, "That's true." Then suddenly they were in the middle of a clearing…except the clearing didn't look like it was naturally made. There were trees down every which way with tree stumps looking like they were giant toothpicks, foliage everywhere as well and some of it still falling. To the side there was a giant pile of boulders and rock, almost exactly like the one they had left a half-hour ago except a lot smaller. She stared at it with wide eyes and realized that whoever, whatever set it off had known what they were doing.

John took in the rubble surrounding him and hoped that Lorne and the others hadn't been in there, they hadn't run into them while walking here and the Major hadn't responded to any of John's hails. Slowly walking towards the pile he kept his ears and eyes alert for any sign that they had somehow survived the second explosion and were trying to get out. "Major!" he called out, starting to somewhat awkwardly dig through the rocks.

The Doctor looked at the pile and then at John trying to dig in order to find them. He highly doubted that if they were inside when the blast happened that they would have survived. He glanced at Martha, not saying anything, then back towards the Colonel. Slowly swallowing the Doctor tried not to focus on the fact that he had lost two more Companions due to his need for adventure. Although he knew that he hadn't really lost Jack…the man would come back to life but it would be all but impossible to get him out since there was so much rubble, much more than the pile back from where they had come from.

Martha glanced at the Doctor when he looked at her and saw the look of sadness on his face, which she knew only meant one thing. "Even Jack?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Even Jack." The Doctor responded in an equally quiet voice.

"And we can't…?"

"Not with that much rubble."

"But there has to be something, can't you use your screwdriver to see if-"

"No Martha." The Doctor snapped, cutting her off. Almost instantly he regretted it; he knew that they should at least try to help the man get out but they had no idea where he was. He continued in a gentler tone, "I know you want to help him but right now we need to get out of here. We can always come back."

Martha opened her mouth to protest but was distracted by the sound of rocks falling and then Colonel Sheppard stumbling away from where he had been and raising his gun, flipping off the safety as he moved. "What the hell?" she muttered, seeing the air around the rock start to shimmer with waves of heat. They continued to heat up and started to crack as well under the intense heat and pressure.

Crumbling, the smaller rocks tumbled down and the trio saw what was causing the transformation. The Doctor's eyes went wide with surprise and shock as did Martha's while John looked at the spectacle with confusion in his eyes.

"It can't be…" Martha breathed, slowly starting to back away from the wreckage.

"Oh it is." The Doctor confirmed, still not able to tear his eyes away from the spectacle. As he watched the Daleks emerge from the stone he tried to figure out how they had gotten here, the last time he had been here there hadn't been even a sign that they were around. Yet here they were; it seemed like they followed the Time Lord around where ever, when ever, he went.

Grabbing hold of Colonel Sheppard's vest he gave it a sharp tug while yelling, "Run!" Spinning around quickly he let go of the dark haired man and started sprinting back into the forest.

Martha took off towards the tree line after the Doctor shouted and didn't dare look back, she knew that he'd be right behind her and hoped that John wouldn't linger. As she ran the way the trio had come, Martha couldn't help but wonder how they had gotten here.

John had seen some pretty strange things during his time on Atlantis and what he was looking at now ranked up there with the Jurassic planet and the Iratus bugs. What John could see of the thing it was silver in color (which glinted off of the sunlight and made him squint in order to continue looking), and had a long stalk protruding from the middle of its face…if it had a face…and where the eyes should have been there were what looked to be light-bulbs. Its oval-like body, with its paneling and armaments, told him that whatever it was had been designed for warfare.

But what it was exactly he had no idea, it had yet to say anything, and just as John opened his mouth to ask he was suddenly yanked to the side and almost fell, hearing the Doctor yell for him and Martha to run. Moving his feet quickly John regained his balance in time to see both of them retreating back into the forest.

Training took over and John ran in order to catch up to them. Trees and bushes flew by as they hardly paused in their flight away from the cave and the Doctor didn't slow until he had reached the spot that they originally started at. As he waited for Martha and John the Doctor's mind raced with thoughts; Why were there Dalek's here? _How_ were there Dalek's here? Where did they come from? Did Jack, Max, and Lorne run into them and if so did they survive? Had the Dalek's caused the second explosion?

Finally slowing down, John tried to catch his breath as he asked, "What the hell are those things?"

"It's complicated." Martha replied, slightly out of breath herself. Looking at the Doctor she asked a silent question and he shook his head. "We'll explain later."

"Where are the rest of the groups?" the Doctor asked, determined to get off of this planet as quickly as they could.

"Shouldn't be anywhere near that area, didn't send any that way." John replied straightening up and looking the man in the eye. Sheppard could see the fear and hatred in them and wondered what the two of them weren't saying. "What's going on? And don't tell me that you'll explain later; I have people out there and some unknown threat as well. I could have just sent them to their death."

"As long as no one's in the area they'll be fine." Martha rushed to assure John, while avoiding the Doctor's gaze. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth either. The less they knew about the Dalek's the better for everyone right now; they could explain everything after Jack and the others rejoined the group.

John's radio crackled to life and he heard, "_Colonel, you there? This is Major Lawrence._"

"Sheppard here, go ahead."

"_We're coming through the 'gate now, cloaking so the Darts won't see us._"

"Understood, set down near in the clearing where the outpost used to stand; we'll come to you." John said as he started walking through the forest towards the area he had just directed the Jumpers too and radioed everyone else to there as well. Behind him the Doctor and Martha followed and every so often, as they walked, they would cast a glance behind them to make sure that they weren't being followed.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the trio didn't run into anyone/thing and were the first to reach the rendezvous point and while they could still hear the sound of Darts they were farther off towards the direction they had come from, but the Jumpers were still cloaked in case a wayward ship flew over the clearing and spotted them.

Once everyone was at the point John was about to send a group to the Jumpers when all of sudden the sound of underbrush rustling was heard and they all turned to see a number of Wraith headed their way. "Run!" John yelled as he turned off the safety and swung his P90 towards them. Behind him he heard shouts from those who didn't have guns and then them fleeing out of the woods and towards the ships. Letting a string of bullets towards the Wraith, John took a few steps back as did the rest of the military contingent who had stayed behind with him so the others could reach the clearing safely.

Pausing only briefly he cast a glance behind him to see how many civilians were left when he spotted that the Doctor and Martha were still there. "Get to the Jumpers!" he yelled at them, over the hail of bullets.

Martha looked at the creatures, who had snow white hair and a blue face with lines and scars all over its face, and was amazed. At no point during her travels with the Doctor had they encountered something like what they were staring at right now. It was almost hypnotic; the way they moved suggested that they were the superior species and they knew it and, to her, it was entrancing.

She was broken out of it by feeling the Doctor grab her arm and pull her along as he ran. A glance towards him told her that the Time Lord had felt the same about the creatures. "I take it those are the Wraith." She said as they sprinted across the glen towards the ships which had de-cloaked now that their cover had been blown.

"One would assume so." The Doctor replied, grinning. They were half way across when he heard footsteps behind them and glanced to see that John and the others had decided to retreat at last.

The entire group reached the second Jumper without incident and as people continued to filter in John looked to see if John, Evan, and Piper had somehow managed to appear while they had been diverted by the Wraith but didn't spot them in the craft. Walking over towards the first one he asked, "Are Major Lorne and his group in there?"

"No sir," Lawrence replied, shaking his head. "I assumed that they were with you."

That didn't sit well in John's mind and it was likely to assume that the Major and the rest were dead. As much as he didn't want to think it, until he had proof that spoke to the contrary it was the only logical option he could come to given what he had seen. A loud yell pierced through the air and everyone paused, looking towards the forest where the sound had come from. Then everyone spotted three Wraith emerge from the trees and everyone surged inside the Jumpers, wanting to escape the nightmare the mission had quickly become.

John raised his P90 at the Wraith and as he did strode towards them while firing, hoping to buy everyone a little more time to get in. He heard a second gun firing as well and stole a glance to the side to see Cadman.

"Can't let you have all the fun Colonel." Laura yelled over the gun fire.

John didn't answer but did let a half-smile creep onto his face. There were times when he didn't know if the Lieutenant was crazy or just enjoyed the explosions and gunfire that she sometimes helped create. Slowly backing towards the second Jumper, they continued to fire at the Wraiths and soon all three were on the ground, hopefully dead. "Lets get outta here." John said after he stepped into the Jumper and slowly made his way to the front.

"Yes sir." The pilot said, turning towards the controls.

As they started to rise into the air John heard a voice say, "Colonel?"

Turning around he saw that it was Martha, "Yes?"

"Did they make it? Are M-Piper and Jack on the other ship?"

John looked at the women and wasn't sure how to break it to her. It seemed to him that they were close, closer than any team he'd seen and briefly he wondered how closely associated to the SGC they were. Deciding that only the direct route would work he shook his head, "Sorry, they weren't there."

"And we're just going to leave them?" Martha asked, eyes wide. "I thought that-"

"We'll come back; don't forget that one of ours is out there as well." John interrupted, shooting her a steely look. "We can't look for them properly with the Wraith out there. And besides, you and the Doctor need to do some explaining as to what the hell it was that we ran into out there."


	17. Welcome to the Jungle

Jack trudged along, between Evan and Max, through the forest and wondered how it could have gotten hotter since they left the cave. Maybe it was because they had been in such a cool environment for a number of hours and it had always been this warm but it seemed hotter only to them. They had started away from the cave at a good clip but now with the heat pressing down on them, Max being injured, and Evan carrying his pack the clip had gone to a slow walk. Wiping a line of sweat from his forehead Jack decided the clime was _too_ warm for his greatcoat and shrugged it off, slinging it over his shoulder.

Evan had been in hot climates before but this was taking the cake. But he didn't mind it; anything was better than being dead from an explosion or those things that Jack and Piper seemed to be so afraid of. They walked in silence, until Evan walked into a covered dale and paused at the edge of the tree-line, scanning the area for any signs of activity. Seeing none he slowly moved forwards, still wary.

Jack and Max slowly followed Lorne and were glad for the leafy covering that shaded them from the hot sun, giving them a chance to try and relax from the grueling day they'd experienced so far. However not even the shady vale could make them forget the Dalek's or that one of their number was back in the outpost, killed by falling rubble.

Max sat down on a log and winced as her arm stabbed with pain. It was getting harder and harder for her to keep it up without the aid of something and it hurt too much to let it hang. Taking in a slow deep breath she glanced over to the side where Jack was and said, "Take off your belt."

Once Max had sat down on the log Jack had all but collapsed onto the grass. After a few seconds of shifting where he wadded his coat up and placed it behind his back, so he could lean against it without it poking him annoyingly, he leaned against the wood and tried to still his racing mind. Then Max spoke and he raised an eyebrow while looking at her, "Sorry?"

"Take off your belt."

Jack grinned, "If you say so, but could you have waited until we got back to the TARDIS? However if the Major wants to join in…"

Against her better judgment, Max smiled at the comment and rolled her eyes. "_Not_ what I meant short bus." She replied while playfully hitting him in the back of the head.

"You're the short bus...short bus." Jack replied, smirking and trying to elicit a smile from her.

Max smiled despite the childness of the retort and knew that Jack was trying to lift her spirits. "I need your belt as a sling for my arm." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Jack looked at her with worry in his eyes as he unbuckled his belt and slid it off his trousers. Notching it at what he guessed to be the appropriate length he then knelt in front of Max and helped put it on. "How bad is it?" he asked, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.

"I've had twins, an hour and a half apart; everything else pales in comparison." Max said, smiling faintly. "But do you have any more of those magic pain killers of yours? 'Cause I have to admit they worked _wonders_ earlier."

Jack chuckled at the statement and shook his head, "Sorry, those were the only ones I had and it takes two for a full dose. But don't tell Ianto I had them, he'll throw a fit since they weren't logged out of the Hub."

"Mum's the word." Max replied winking her eye. She had to admit that Jack was good at lifting spirits but it would only work for so long…breaking her gaze with Jack she glanced to where Evan was, sitting on the ground as well and leaning against a tree. She knew that it looked like he was resting but could tell from the way he was still gripping his P90 that he was alert.

Then she realized how quiet their surroundings were; it was so still that it was almost unnerving. There weren't the normal sounds of animals moving around in the underbrush or the twitter of any avian creatures and it was bothering Max; something about all of this wasn't right.

* * *

Evan watched Jack tend to Max and the way he flirted with her made him wonder if they were seeing each other, if not something else. Settling at a tree far from them, yet at the same time close by enough in case something happened he could get to them fast enough, he leaned his head against the base of the tree while still keeping his guard up. He'd been in more than enough war zones to know that you could never truly relax while on the run and not knowing who your adversary was.

Thinking back on it later, he would realize that the signs were there; no birds chirping, no animals rustling around the forest, everything a dead silence. But it was the slight drone that told him something was off. He pushed off of the tree and stood, striding towards the middle of the dale with his finger on the trigger of the P90 (that had somehow, fortunately, come through the day's events with nothing more than a few scratches) and looking around for the source of the sound. But the overhang of the branches and leaves prohibited him from seeing anything.

Out of the corner of their eyes, Max and Jack saw Lorne spring up and stood as well, hearing the drone. "What is that?" Jack asked, eyes darting around trying to find the source of the noise.

"Wraith!" Max and Evan exclaimed together, fresh panic appearing in their eyes. They both started running back into the forest while Jack hesitated long enough to grab his coat before running as well.

"Wraith?" Jack called out as they ran. He'd read about them in SGC reports, and they sounded like something out of a nightmare and always wondered what they were like before the Expedition had managed to deal with them.

"Yes Wraith!" Evan called out as he sped in-between the trees, wondering if this day could get any worse.

Max glanced behind her and saw the opaque-blue culling beam headed towards her and sped up. But in her haste to get away she neglected to look where she was going and tripped over a tree root, hitting the ground. Wincing, Max scrambled up while looking behind her only to see the beam gaining ground. Then she felt a body shove her out of the way and next thing she knew Max was on the ground again with the second body against hers, and the beam passing by harmlessly.

Her heart pounding, Max got up a second time while looking at her savior and saw that it was Jack. She opened her mouth to thank him but he just flashed her a grin and with a wink started off again.

As they moved the sounds of the Darts faded but they could still hear them in the distance and Jack wondered if they were going in the right direction because it seemed like they were going in circles; everything looked the same. He briefly considered using his wrist strap to contact Colonel Sheppard but wasn't sure if it would work; if he wasn't using the headset that he normally wore then interfacing with radios was sketchy at best. So he didn't and continued to follow Lorne while looking for any landmarks or some defining feature that could tell him where the hell they were in relation to the Stargate.

Max walked behind Jack and wondered if they were lost; it had been hours since they had seen any kind of actual daylight, what they got was filtered down from the canopy or broke through bare spots where trees no longer stood, and for all she knew they could right on top of the 'gate or miles from it. She also found it hard to comprehend that they hadn't run into anyone from Atlantis; surely they hadn't thought them dead and given up looking. John didn't do that, he never left anyone behind and he wouldn't start now. As they walked she started to feel uneasy; there was something off about their surroundings and it only increased as time passed.

Of course she would be paranoid, the Wraith were out there and wanted to get any human that was on the planet so they all had a reason to be a little jumpy but this was more than a feeling. Pausing for a few seconds, she could have _sworn_ that there was something rustling behind her but when Max turned all she could see were trees and plants.

"_Relax, you're exhausted from a very excruciating day. There's nothing out here except the Wraith and local wildlife._" She thought, starting after Jack again.

A few minutes of quiet passed but the feeling didn't go away; it only intensified. Max increased her pace and soon reached Jack who raised an eyebrow at her sudden appearance but didn't say anything. Then they both heard the snap of a twig and turned around in time to see a Wraith step out from behind a tree with a stunner in hand. The Wraith aimed it and pulled the trigger, sending a pulse speeding towards them.

Jack saw the Wraith with the stunner and knew he had to act fast; he shoved Max in front of him while yelling, "Run!"

The blue pulse hit him and he felt his limbs stiffen. Legs giving out, Jack fell to the ground and hit it rather hard while aware of Max letting out a yell. Grunting, he realized that there was still some feeling in his extremities and was able to somewhat drag himself along the dirt track they had been using as a path. Then he felt an arm grab him and looked up to see that Max was trying to help him.

A quick glance at the Wraith told Jack that Max being able to get him out of harms way wouldn't be a possibility so he said, "Stop. Just leave me, I'll be fine."

"No!" Max said as she was determined not to let the Wraith get him; during her time on Atlantis she'd seen too many people die that way and didn't want it to happen again. Straining to keep a grip on his jacket, Max was dimly aware of footsteps behind her and then hands grabbing her, tearing her grip from Jack. "Let me go!" she yelled fighting.

"Piper…we can't help him." Evan said, his voice somewhat rough. He hated leaving people behind; it went against everything he had learned but right now they didn't have a choice. It was either save Jack and get captured by the Wraith or sacrifice the Captain, survive, and warn Atlantis about the creatures they had discovered. He pulled Piper away from Jack and moved as fast as he could while she still struggled, trying to get back to help him.

Jack watched them go and knew that he'd be able to join them later on…at least he hoped he would. He'd never had the life sucked out of him; well there had been Abaddon but that was different. "_This should be interesting._" He thought as he turned to face the Wraith who was nearing him. Putting on what must have come across as an insane grin he shouted, "Want some fresh meat bitch!"

The Wraith just smiled while walking up to him and when he was near enough pulled Jack up by his shirt while snarling, "Foolish human." He then pulled back a hand and then thrust in into Jack's chest.

Jack let out a strangled grunt when the Wraith's hand sunk into his skin and almost immediately he could feel himself getting weaker and weaker. Vision blurring he struggled for air until he felt the darkness creeping up and, not having the strength to fight it, let it envelop him completely.

* * *

Evan stopped and let Piper go, looking at her with hurt in his eyes. He knew what it was like to see someone fed upon by the Wraith and wanted to spare her that, and to get the hell out of there before the Wraith had decided to go after them. "Listen-" he started to say but was cut off by her fist connecting with his face. Seeing spots, he backed up a few steps and shook his head, "_Damn she's got an arm._" He thought as he rubbed his jaw. "What the hell was that for?" he asked, shooting daggers at her.

"You left him! We could have saved him and you left him to die!" Max yelled, tears in her eyes. She knew that he would have slowed them down, but at the moment she didn't care.

"No we couldn't have. You're hurt and he would have just slowed us down and gotten all of us caught. You can hate me 'till you're old and grey but right now we need to somehow find the 'gate." Evan snapped, losing his patience. It had been a long day, even by Pegasus standards and all he wanted right now was to get back to Atlantis. Not waiting for a response he stalked off in what he hoped was the right direction towards the Stargate.

Max watched Evan walk off and knew that he was right, but didn't want to admit it; he still left Jack to die at the hands of a Wraith. Glaring at his back she followed him and they moved at a brisk clip, hoping that they'd run into someone from Atlantis and not Wraith. They noticed that it seemed to be getting brighter and they could hear gun-fire. Increasing their pace, they emerged from the forest in time to see two Jumpers fly off and then shimmer out of their vision. Running out to the middle of the field they tried to get their attention, but either neither of the pilots must have seen nor heard them because they didn't reappear.

Max stared into the distance and knew that the Doctor and Martha had to be on one of them. Eyes lighting up at the realization, she frantically searched for her mobile because if Martha had hers then they were saved. But her search came up with nothing; she must have left it back on the TARDIS. Determined not to be left behind, Max broke in a run towards the 'gate and hoped that it didn't deactivate before she got there. "_He's not going to leave me behind again._" She thought bitterly to herself as she ran. Dimly aware of Evan shouting after her, asking what she was doing, but Max ignored him. If she got left behind it wouldn't be because she didn't try.

Evan had done everything short of firing a string of bullets towards the Jumpers, it would be hard to know where exactly to aim since the Jumpers had the cloaks activated, but they hadn't acknowledged any of it so he had to assume that they had to get back to the 'gate on foot. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Piper search for something and not find it. Then out of nowhere she broke into a run.

"Piper!" he yelled after a moments pause for his brain to catch up with what was happening. "What are you doing?"

She ignored him, either deliberately or because she didn't hear him, but whatever the reason Evan knew that he wasn't about to be left in the dust. Breaking into a run, it didn't take him long to catch up and fall into step next to her.

They reached the 'gate and Max ran up the steps, standing in the middle of the circular structure while looking up at it. Evan stopped at the steps and watched her, not sure of what she was going to do next. Knowing that they needed to get back to Atlantis, he walked to the DHD while reaching for his GDO.

Max looked at the Stargate, not knowing if she wanted to yell, scream, hit something, or just squash it all down and carry on. She chose the last option; taking a deep breath she looked over to where Evan was standing by the DHD and walked down the steps while saying, "Good thing we can dial Atlantis."

Evan looked up when he heard Max speak but then quickly looked back down. "Yeah…about that…" he trailed off, not sure how to break the news.

"What?" Max inquired, picking up on the obvious fact that something was wrong.

"My GDO's gone."


	18. Death and all his Friends

A/N: It's never been said what exactly Lorne has his degree in, but those of us on the Major Lorne/Kavan Smith Thunk Thread on Gateworld think that it's Geology/Geology related since he was with the mining team in 'Enemy Mine' (season 7 of SG-1). Also it was so I could make a bad cave joke; to which I make no apologies for. See chapter one for all disclaimers and please R&R.

* * *

The snow crunched loudly underneath Evan's feet as he made his way past the headstones, the yard as silent as the graves it held, and he tried to hide from the biting wind. Flakes of the white powder fell and swirled as the wind occasionally picked up and sent the flurries scattering all over the place. From time to time it would snow so heavily that Evan would be swallowed by the whiteness, until the wind died down and once more he was surrounded by grey headstones.

He unconsciously gripped the bouquet of flowers tighter in his hand as he neared their graves, one right next to the other. It had only been a few months but it seemed like years, and he knew that it would never get easier as time went on; maybe the pain would lessen but the emptiness left by their passing would never be filled no matter how much they tried.

It had been one hell of a fight to let them have graves and not some cold locker in the Hub. Evan had fought tooth and nail, saying that Torchwood had been their cause of death and they deserved something more than just a small box with only a number; no name or other means of identifying them. While Ianto hadn't said anything when Evan told him, he knew the younger man felt the same way. He didn't blame Owen as much as he had in the beginning; the man hadn't noticed until it was too late, no one had, but the hatred was still there and Evan didn't know if it would ever go away.

Their graves were on top of a gently sloping knoll that overlooked a pond, although it was frozen in the winter months. Still it was beautiful and fit, they had loved the water and Evan knew that they could watch the seasons change from their little outlook. He looked at the headstones and tried to blink back the tears that formed in his eyes.

Ianto had been the one to choose both headstones; they fit both of them that Evan had no reason to argue. Besides, he had been too consumed with grief to properly function. Fortunately Lydia had been there, and had been a saving grace through out all of this. Sitting down next to the second grave, he looked out at the landscape.

Lorne heard footsteps in the snow and didn't move, and then he heard an American voice, with a faint Midwestern drawl, "Thought I'd find you here."

Looking up he looked at Lydia standing next to him and then away, towards the frozen pond covered with snow and the bare trees next to it. "It's the first of the month, of course I'd be here." He replied, still avoiding her gaze. Hearing movement and then weight beside him told him that Lydia wasn't going anywhere any time soon. They sat in silence for a while, until he looked at her and gave her a soft smile. Lydia returned the smile and gave his hand a small squeeze.

* * *

Jack gasped violently, choking on the air that flooded his lungs and coughed as he started breathing again. His body ached and felt like it had been run over a truck. Eyes focusing he saw that it was nearing night, but the sun hadn't set all the way because he could still make out some shapes and colors, and he was still in the forest. Softly groaning, Jack sat up slowly and tried to discern something that could tell him where he was. Outstretching his hands, Jack brushed against something soft and knew instantly that it was his coat; he must have dropped it when he had been shot.

Smirking a little, he picked it up and put it on as the air had gotten a little cooler. "Now where to next?" he asked out loud. Obviously he needed to get back to Atlantis, but how that would be accomplished he had no idea because of a number of reasons; the top ones being he didn't have an IDC or know the address for the planet. Maybe he could use his wrist strap to send a message through and they could lower the shield long enough for him to get through.

However, Jack could worry about those things in the morning, right now he needed to find some kind of shelter; dying and then coming back to life always seemed to wear him out more than normal. He picked a direction at random and started walking. Jack hadn't gone far when he stumbled upon a Wraith. The creature was face-down on the ground, its white hair splayed everywhere and Jack stood still for a minute or so, not sure what to do. Maybe it was a trap, he could still hear Darts flying about in the distance, and the Wraith were just waiting for a snack to come walking along.

Hand on his Webley, but still keeping it holstered, Jack slowly inched closer towards the Wraith, eyes and ears alert for any signs that it was indeed a trap. But he was within meters of it and it still hadn't moved. Now Jack was standing on top of it and still nothing had happened. "_Either this is one hell of a trap or there's something else going on._" Jack thought as he slowly drew out his gun and looked around to see if the trap was going to be sprung.

But nothing happened and Jack wanted to see what was going on before the last of the sunlight disappeared. Removing one hand from the gun, Jack hesitantly placed it on the shoulder and quickly turned it over, stepping back incase the Wraith tried to grasp his hand; he'd like to keep from dying a third time today as much as possible. It didn't move and Jack wondered what was going on.

He slowly knelt next to it and felt for a pulse…at least he hoped that the Wraith had something that passed for a pulse; the reports he had read hadn't gone into detail about their biology. There was nothing and Jack decided to take a risk and listen for any kind of heartbeat. Everything was silent and Jack raised an eyebrow, from what he could see there weren't any marks that suggested trauma, so the former Time Agent was left scratching his head as to why this one was suddenly pushing daises. Staring at its face in the fading sunlight, Jack realized that this particular Wraith had been the one that had killed him.

"Huh." He said out loud, surprised at the turn of events.

But Jack was glad to be alive and now he knew what would happen if he ran into any of the Wraith again. "_Hopefully it won't happen again._" He thought, running a hand through his hair. Standing, Jack looked around and realized that he was going to need to find some kind of shelter for the night, then in the morning figure out how the hell he was going to get back to Atlantis.

* * *

Max walked behind Evan and wondered if they were ever going to find a spot to settle for the night. Realizing that they weren't going to be able to get through the 'gate without a GDO or radio, both of them knew that they'd have to wait until Sheppard returned with a Jumper in order to get back. They also knew that with the Wraith still around it wouldn't be safe to stay out in the open, it would be better for the duo to find some sort of covered shelter. Both of them could hear Darts in the distance and knew that it was only a matter of time until they either left or found the pair.

"_There must be _some_ humans here otherwise they would have left long ago._" Max thought to herself as she ducked to avoid a low hanging branch. This was bringing back memories, not all of them pleasant; it had been years since she had thought about her time with the Athosians, when Miranda had been less then six months old and she had gone back to teaching the children on New Athos. None of them had ever gotten an explanation as to why the 'gate had suddenly stopped working or that the next day found them on a different, deadly planet. "_But that's all in the past…or is it future?_" Max asked herself while smiling at the thought; it had been years since time-traveling with the Doctor made her head hurt.

Evan wondered what was going through Piper's head at the moment. She had just lost a member of her team and then stranded on a Wraith infested world with no idea on how to get back to Atlantis. It would have been enough to send any normal civilian to the edge of reason, but she seemed to be handling it rather well…except for the moment when Captain Harkness died, but that had been understandable. Continuing on in the gathering darkness, he was beginning to wonder if there were any more caves still standing or that they had toppled the only one in existence. After the thought appeared, he saw the outline of lighter stone jutting out from the trees that surrounded the area. Pausing he stared at it in the dusk wondering if it was indeed a cave, or just a small out cropping of rocks.

"What do you think?" Evan asked, turning to look at Piper who was regarding it as well.

The shape was big enough that they could walk in upright but not so big that it towered above them and was made out of lighter stone that made it a stark contrast of its surroundings. It would make a good resting place, and they had no idea if there was another one in the area or if this was the only one. There was part of her brain that was telling her to be careful, but the other part that was tired after (what turned out to be) a very trying and emotional day overrid that part and Max nodded, "If there's nothing in there I'm more than willing to stay the night."

"It's settled then." Evan said, stepping forwards and switching on his torch to illuminate the way and walking in, his feet crunching the gravel on the ground and he danced the beam around, trying to get a feel for the interior. "Looks like a Solutional cave…granite if I had to guess." he said after a few minutes. Inside it extended back, farther than the light reached, and from what he could see there were several extensions. Turning around, he shined his light towards the ceiling and saw that it was rather high and he could just make out stalactites. Taking a step into one of these extensions he continued, "Got my degree in Geology; had one professor who liked to say, 'don't take everything I say-"

"Littoral-ly.'" Max finished with him, smiling.

Evan paused after Piper finished the joke with him and raised an eyebrow, "You had Professor Hartman?"

Then Max realised her slip and was glad for the semi-dark to hide her flushed face, "No, but I had a…old boyfriend who did. Told me the story on our second date."

"Really? Would I know him?"

"Maybe. Did you clear our tracks?" she asked, quickly changing the subject. She saw Evan shake his head. "Then I'll do it." Max then beat a hasty retreat back towards the mouth. She made quick work of wiping their tracks away, fortunate for them it hadn't rained in a while so the ground was dry and it was easy to make it look like they hadn't been there. Having finished the task and a bit more composed, she turned around only to run into Evan.

"Thought that we should pull up some brush around the entrance. That way if any Wraith come by they won't stop in to see if anybody's home." Lorne said, looking for some loose brush to pick up.

"Good thinking." Max replied, grabbing a branch and dragging it towards the entrance. Working quickly and silently they managed to conseal it and only after stepping inside himself did they cover the rest of it up. Glad for the cooler air of the cave, Max silently followed Lorne back into the intersecting room and they sat down in the barely lit room, neither of them had brought in wood for a warming fire because they didn't want to risk someone seeing the smoke or light coming from the cave and decide to investigate.

Lorne looked at Piper and broke the silence they had fallen into since going back in by asking, "Where'd you learn how to hide tracks?"

Max looked at Evan and reguarded him for a moment. She could lie but she was getting tired of almost every sentence coming out of her mouth being one when she talked to him. "Wilderness skills." She said without elaborating and before he could press any more they both heared the sound of rustling.

Eyes going wide Max moved, ignoring the protests her body made at the sudden action, as Evan turned off the torchlight but they knew that it was a futile action. Who ever was at the mouth must have seen the light reflecting off of the walls and figured out that there were people in here.

As the darkness swallowed both of them up, Evan was left to fumble his way around. Pulling out his sidearm he headed in the direction of the exit was as quitely as he could.

* * *

It was dark when Jack saw the faint outline of the cave and since he hadn't found anything close to that since starting out he decided to take what he could get. Standing a few feet from the entrance, he wondered if he really wanted to go inside; so far today his track record for caves hadn't been that impressive and didn't want to tempt fate any more. But at the same time he didn't want to sleep in a tree or end up running into another Wraith. So with those choices Jack decided to suck it up and spend the night in there.

Walking towards the opening he stepped to enter in when something snagged on his coat and rustled. "Great." He muttered, feeling for whatever was in his way so he could untangle it from his coat and get inside. After freeing his coat, Jack soon found out that there was more brush standing in his way and there was no way to get through them quietly. Muttering curses as he struggled through the brambles Jack wondered what he had done recently to deserve this kind of treatment from the Universe. Stumbling in, he tried not to fall and then tugged on his greatcoat which he knew was more of a gesture to compose himself than to do anything to the long jacket. After his eyes adjusted, Jack tried to look around but found that it was too dark even for him to see anything, then suddenly the blinding light of a torch filled his eyes. Blinking rapidly, Jack took a step back while raising a hand to block the beam from his eyes.

Evan couldn't believe his eyes; standing in front of him was Captain Harkness.

Who was dead.

"_What the hell?_" he thought, wondering if this was some new trick from the Wraith; imitate someone they had killed in order to lure the others out and then strike. If it was then Lorne was determined to turn the tables. Moving quickly he lunged for the impersonator and grabbed the coat, latching onto it with an awkward hold since he had the torch in one hand. The light clattered to the ground and turned off as they moved but the imposter was surprised and offered no struggle so Lorne was able to overpower him and drag them outside, crashing into the branches but he didn't care; Evan was going to end this before it got out of hand.

Max fumbled around for the light, she'd heard it clatter to the ground admist the sounds of the struggle and didn't want to be left in the dark (figurativly and litteraly speaking). Brushing the plastic with her fingertips she grasped it and fliped the switch; hoping that it still worked. Light spilled from the lens and she caught movement outside.

Moving quickly as she dared, Max advanced on the duo and shone the light at them. Evan's body blocked the light but she could see movement in front of him and stepped slightly to the side in order to see what it was. The beam fell on the thing and Max let out a gasp of shock.

"_But I saw-the Wraith was so close-how did he?_" the thoughts zipped through her head and Max shook her head a little, partly wishing that she was seeing things while at the same time wishing that what she was seeing was Jack Harkness and not just a trick by some Wraith.

Jack slammed up against a tree and grunted, while wondering if he was going to die yet again today; he wouldn't be setting any kind of personal record but it got trying after awhile. "Major, listen-" he started to say but was cut off by the sudden appearance of a bright light shining on his face.

Squinting his eyes, Jack heard a gasp and then Lorne say, "Stay back; it's some kind of trick."

Jack moved his head out of the light in an effort to see past the light but wasn't able to see anything aside from the bright spots that danced in his vision. Taking a hesitant step forwards he said, "It's no trick. It's me, Jack-" Then he heard the click of a hammer being pulled back and he froze where he was.

"How could it not be a trick?" Evan asked harshly, keeping the gun trained on whatever was in front of him. "A Wraith got Captain Harkness, we saw it get him."

"It did, but…well it's slightly complicated but-"

"Then uncomplicated it." Max said, breaking in while still looking at the person she hoped was Jack.

Jack was silent, not sure how he should phrase his 'condition'. "I can't die." he finally said. "Well I mean I can…it's just that I come back to life."

"Bullshit."

"Sorry?"

Evan shot Jack a dirty look even if the man couldn't see it. "That's not possible."

"It is. I litterally can't die."

"I don't believe you. This is just some kind of trick by the Wraith to cull humans. Do they think that we'll be so overjoyed to see someone we thought dead that we'd welcome them back with open arms?"

Jack sighed, this was going to be more difficult than he originally thought. "It isn't some kind of trick. Do I have to prove it to you?"

"Yes and I'd be more than glad to pull the trigger."


	19. Nowhere Fast

As soon as the Jumper door fully opened the Doctor was off like a shot with Martha trailing him. "Doctor!" she yelled sprinting after him as they ran through the halls of Atlantis towards the TARDIS. Martha knew that everyone stared in surprise as they sped past but didn't care at the moment, right now they had _much_ bigger problems. Like how they were going to get Jack and Max back from the planet; and they needed to explain how she died…she didn't think that 'death by Dalek' would be able to go on a death certificate.

Entering the TARDIS, Martha saw the Doctor trying to power up the ship, but being unable to. "What's wrong with it?" she asked, moving up to the control panel.

The Doctor didn't answer her; he was too preoccupied with trying to get it to start. They had to stop the Dalek's and get Jack back. But no matter what he did, the ship wouldn't even start up. Letting out a frustrated snarl, he aimed a foot at the base and then kicked it.

"Oy," Martha shouted, surprised at the action; during the years she traveled with the Doctor not once had she seen him kick the ship. "don't kick it! You have no idea what could happen. It could do something…bad…"

The Doctor tried to glare at Martha over his glasses, giving her his sternest look, however he couldn't help his lips twitching into a faint smile of amusement. "You have a point; the last time I kicked the TARDIS it sent me to a water world where the inhabitants didn't take to kindly to 'air breathers' as they called it. After that I tried not to kick the ship." The Doctor rambled on, slightly flinching at the memory. It had taken awhile for those particular scars to heal.

"Anyways, I thought that Jack and Max had been able to get it at least started." Martha piped up, knowing that they had to get back to the task at hand.

The Doctor scratched the back of his head in puzzlement while looking at the readout on the screen in front of him. "Me too…" He was silent after that declaration, his mind trying to work out what was wrong but coming up empty. "Oh well," the Doctor said, straightening up rapidly. "we should see what the others have been up to."

* * *

Elizabeth was nearly run over by the Doctor and Martha as they ran from the Jumper Bay. Watching them disappear, she wondered what had caused the action. Turning back towards the Bay, she wasted no time and walked up to Sheppard. "John?"

"We have a problem." John said, as he started moving towards the doors.

"I know, the Wraith-"

"Not the Wraith, although they did give us some trouble. But apparently we've got something much worse."

Elizabeth matched John's pace as he headed towards the Control Tower. "How is something worse than the Wraith?"

John glanced at Weir while hardly pausing, "There were these…things. Like pepper-pots only bigger. Unlike anything I've seen here." he clarified, looking quite agitated as he did so.

"What are they called?" Elizabeth asked as they stepped into the lift and pressed the spot for the Tower. There was a flash of light and then they stepped out into the hallway, continuing to the Control Room. "They must have some kind of name."

"You'd have to ask the Doctor about that. Right now we need to get back to the planet. Lorne and two of the Doctor's team are still there."

"We can't go back. And you better start getting everyone in the city out of here."

John and Elizabeth paused at the sound of the voice and turned to see that it belonged to the Doctor who was standing to the side with his hands shoved inside of his coat pockets. "No." John asked, slightly annoyed that the man seemed to take over every situation he walked into and didn't give any explanation as to what or why. "There's nothing threatening that warrants an evacuation."

"You have no idea what you're dealing with. Even the Ancients, as you call them, had trouble containing them."

Elizabeth paused and looked at the Doctor. "What do you mean? And what are those things John described called?"

"Ah…well that's a conversation that needs all of your Senior Staff on hand. Best if you call them for a briefing." The Doctor said, pulling his hands out of his pockets while walking past John and Elizabeth, up the stairs and towards the Conference Room.

Elizabeth watched the Doctor walk away and turned towards Martha, "Is he always like this?" she asked, while raising an eyebrow.

"Most of the time." Martha replied with a knowing smile. "You get used to it after awhile." The smile disappeared and a dark look took its place. "And you better do what he says; trust me when I say we both know what we're dealing with here."

* * *

"They're called Daleks and their main function is to destroy eveything that isn't Dalek. They don't know that you're from Atlantis, but they might even hunt you down with even more ferocity when they learn that." The Doctor said, pacing back and forth across the room while speaking.

"Why? We've never come across anything mentioning them in the database." Elizabeth said, eyebrows creasing together with worry and suspicion; how did the Doctor know so much about an enemy that they'd never encountered before if he was from the SGC?

Hardly pausing in his pacing, the Doctor briefly glanced at Doctor Weir before answering, "Who do you think created them? Do you really think that after the creations rebelled against their creators they wanted future generations to have access to them?"

"You mean the Ancients created those things?" Martha asked, raising an eyebrow. "But I thought that they were mutated cells."

"They are, but who do you think had enough advanced technology to make them?" The Doctor ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up even more, and finally stopped pacing. "Although I have to give him credit, I never considered the fact that he was one of them."

"Who?" Elizabeth and Rodney asked at the same time.

"Doesn't matter, what matters is that we need to get everyone out of the city…off the entire planet for that matter." The Doctor replied, ignoring the question and remembering that Max had mentioned there was a village on the mainland. At the thought of Max, a look of sadness briefly passed over his face; he felt bad that he brought her all this way only to die, but he couldn't undo what was already done. To do so would be playing God, and over the centuries the Doctor had learned all too well that was one thing he wasn't.

Nor did he ever want to be.

But he pushed those thoughts away and focused on what Doctor McKay was saying.

"-reason for it to collapse. One minute it was standing and the next fell to pieces."

"Buildings don't fall in on themselves for no apparent reason, Rodney." Elizabeth said, knowing that in Pegasus sometimes the reason was the one you weren't looking for. "Have Zelenka or Winter over the readings again and try to figure out why." Turning her gaze to the Doctor she asked, "Do you really think that these things warrant moving everyone to the Alpha Site?"

"I do. But it would be better if you could sink the city again and leave this galaxy." The Doctor replied looking straight at the Expedition's civilian leader. He was a good judge of character when it came down to it and he could tell that Elizabeth was willing to do whatever it took in order to protect the people she was in charge of. "Trust me when I say that they won't give up until every single person is dead."

Elizabeth started back at the Doctor and could see the fear in his eyes. She had seen that kind of fear before, all too frequently since coming to the city. The Doctor seemed to know what he was talking about but at the same time she got the feeling that he was hiding something, that his entire team was hiding something. What that was, Elizabeth had no idea, but knew that it was going to have to come out sooner of later. Right now, however, they had to deal with these Daleks. She wasn't happy that the Doctor wasn't sharing everything with them; she could tell that he was only telling them what they needed to hear.

And a decision to evacuate everyone, including the Athosians, wasn't something that needed be given a hasty decision. But at the same time if the Dalek's were as bad as the Doctor said they were, they didn't have much time until they tried to attack the city. And with the _Daedalus_ still on Earth, not due to start its monthly run until a few more weeks, they were alone. True they needed to let the SGC know about the situation, but there was little they could do besides sending reinforcements and even then it might not make a difference.

There were times when the fact that she held everyone's lives in whatever decision she made weighed heavily on her and this time was no exception. But when it came down to it, Elizabeth knew what she had to do. Breaking her gaze from the Doctor, she looked at everyone else while speaking, "We'll move all the civilians to the Alpha Site in the morning."

"What about Lorne and the rest back there? We can't just leave them." John spoke up, not wanting to just be sitting here talking. He wanted to be out there, looking for the Major and the two others with him.

Elizabeth looked at John, knowing that what she had to say wouldn't please him at all. "We can't go back there expecting them to be alive-"

"They are."

"but we also have to consider the Wraith." Elizabeth continued, acting like John hadn't cut her off. "They're most likely still there and the Dalek's will have their hands full dealing with them. If that's the case then there's still a chance, but until we know more I don't want to risk another mission." She cast a glance towards the Doctor and Martha, whose expressions were blank, making reading what they were thinking hard to do. "If they haven't returned by morning then I'll consider sending you back, but until then all travel to the planet is suspended."

Elizabeth then stood, silently signaling that the meeting was over, while looking at Martha and the Doctor; wanting to talk to them in private. Everyone caught the signal and left leaving just the three of them in the conference room. Looking at them, Elizabeth folded her arms and said, "Who are you really?"

"We told you. We're from the SGC-" Martha said, while wondering if their cover had been blown.

"No your not." Elizabeth interrupted, moving from her spot at the head of the table to where they were. "We've never seen these things, never _heard_ of them before until your team shows up out of nowhere, in a blue call box. And I want to know who-what you really are."

The Doctor met Elizabeth's gaze while admiring the fact that she had enough intelligence and wit to fit all the puzzle pieces together. If he was looking for another Companion, he'd consider asking her to come along. But that was irrelevant at the moment, right now they had bigger problems. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me; I've seen a lot since coming here." Elizabeth replied, not breaking away from the Doctor's gaze. "How is it that there was mention of the outpost but not what was inside it?"

A slow smile spread across the Doctor's face, the pieces setting into place. "Oh I like you…" he said softly. "But there'll be plenty of time later on for all the explanations. Right now we need to fix the TARDIS."

"The what?" Elizabeth asked, confused at the turn the conversation had taken.

"My ship; Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. TARDIS. It's what brought us here."

"Then why does it look like a call box?"

"Long story. One we don't have time for. If you want you can come along for a look." The Doctor called out over his shoulder as he walked quickly out of the room.

Martha could hardly believe what she had just heard. Not knowing what to think, she cast an apologetic glance towards Elizabeth, who was wearing an expression which could only be described as a mixture of confusion and puzzlement, before following in the Doctor's wake.

Elizabeth just stared at the two as they left the room, not following even though her curiosity about the TARDIS made her want to. However, the fact that they might have to empty the city was a larger concern than satisfying her wonder. Sighing, she turned towards her office and walked towards it while activating her headset. It looked like it was going to be another long night.

* * *

The Doctor exited the TARDIS frustrated than anything else. He had spent a good part of the night looking through the computer database and at the same time trying to fix it. But he still didn't have any idea as to what the problem was; for all intents and purposes the TARDIS was in normal working order…or at least as normal as the TARDIS was usually, and his search wasn't turning up anything as well.

Realizing that nothing was going to be gained at the moment, the Doctor decided that he needed a walk to clear his mind, so that's what he was doing; taking a walk. It gave him a chance to see Atlantis again while at the same time try to figure out all of this. The hallways were all but deserted, most everyone either still asleep or just heading off to start the day. Everything looked and seemed like it was just the beginning of another normal day on the floating city of Atlantis.

But it was far from normal.

"What are you doing here?"

The Doctor looked behind him where the distinctly British (more specifically London) voice had come from and saw that it was Martha. Turning around he waited for her to catch up with him before saying, "I could ask you the same."

"Well…since it was rather hard for me to get a wink of sleep since you kept banging away all night, I decided to see the place. Haven't really done that since we've gotten here and from the way you went on, it must be something special." Martha said as they walked along the corridor.

"That it is." The Doctor replied softly, pausing at a window and gazing out to look at the landscape. Looking past the city, he stared at the water and the clouds that were beginning to lighten. It was peaceful, just like the last time he had visited but this time there was a darker threat looming on the horizon like storm clouds.

And there was little they could do to stop it.

The sound of an alert broke through the Doctor's thoughts and he turned away from the window, heading towards the room that the Stargate was kept while wondering what was going on.

Martha sighed inwardly when she saw that the Doctor was going _towards_ the sound of the alarms instead of _away_ from it. He never could quite let things be, it was against his nature and there were times that she wished that he would stop following danger like he was some kind of lost puppy attaching itself to the first person who showed it kindness. But at the same time Martha knew that she was intensely curious as to what the commotion was about and found herself heading in the same direction as well.

* * *

Jack made his way to the DHD as quietly as he could, although it wasn't hard since there was hardly any underbrush but cursed the double moonlight that bathed everything in a milky half-light. But he was glad he had decided to wear a dark shirt so that it shielded him somewhat from preying eyes. Distantly he could hear the sounds of explosions and Darts strafing the sky and wondered how much longer the Wraith would be able to hold them off.

Right now it felt like they were caught in a battle between two Titans and no matter who won, the three of them would lose.

However bleak it looked for them at the moment, Jack still had to try to contact Atlantis to let them know that the three of them were still alive and warn them about the Dalek's.

As he spied the 'gate up ahead, Jack smiled to himself but became extra cautious; for all he knew it could be guarded by either faction and didn't want to chalk up another mark on death's tally. But his worry was for nothing because it remained silent. Walking up to the device, Jack quickly punched in the address for Atlantis, glad that Lorne had given it to him, and waited as the wormhole formed.

Opening up his wrist strap he punched a few buttons, paused, pressed a few numbers and then spoke quietly, "Atlantis you copy me?"

He waited for a reply but received none so he tried again, slightly louder this time, "Atlantis this is Captain Jack Harkness, anyone there?"

Still receiving no response he tried one last time, this time in a normal voice, "Doctor? Martha? Anyone?"

Sighing in frustration as he continued to get no response Jack ended the transmission and walked away from the 'gate as it shut off. He'd come back after a few hours and try again.

Making his way back to the cave, Jack noticed that the sounds of fighting had gotten louder which meant that they were moving closer to where the three of them were currently housed. "_Hopefully we'll be gone before they reach it._" Jack thought to himself as he neared the opening. He gave the signal; giving a low whistle, pausing for a few seconds and then repeating it.

A few seconds later Jack could see the dim light reflecting off of the cave walls and get brighter as Evan neared. Just as it reached past him, the light went out and a few seconds later Jack heard, "You contact them?"

"Couldn't get through, I'll try again after a few hours." Jack replied as he helped remove the brush so he could slip through. "But I don't think that I should have been the one to do it, they don't really know me."

"If the Doctor was there then he would have known it was you." Evan replied as Jack walked back inside the cave and they replaced the flimsy barrier. Pausing for a minute, he looked out and up at the twin moons; if it wasn't so dangerous out there Lorne would consider it almost romantic.

"True, but even then they'd have a hard time getting the others to believe it was me. Or you for that matter." Jack argued as they made their way towards the extension where they had settled for the night.

"Well, next time the two of us'll go." Evan said, switching the torch back on and setting it on its base so the light could flood the room. He glanced over to where Jack was and saw that he was looking at Piper, who was fast asleep and using the Captain's coat as a pillow. He wasn't surprised, the day had been unusually trying; physically and emotionally, plus with her arm it was good that she was getting some rest. Who knew when they might have to make a run for it?

Jack looked at Max and couldn't help but smiling, at least one of them was resting peacefully (either that or she had passed out from the pain) and he hoped that she wouldn't have any nightmares about him and the Wraith or Lorne shooting him in order to prove that he really couldn't die, but was aware that the Major was watching as well. It was a tricky game, he couldn't pretend not to care about her but at the same time if it looked like he cared too much then it could have consequences down the road. Shoving the thoughts out of his mind, Jack forced himself to look away from Max and towards the Major, "Why don't you grab some sleep? I'll take watch for a few hours."

"You sure? Don't think I've seen you get any."

Jack felt a half-smile slip onto his face at the remark, "Don't worry about it, I'll be fine."

"If you say so." Lorne said as he sat down and tried to make himself as comfortable as he could.

* * *

Max's eyes snapped open and she found herself bolting upright, struggling for breath; the all too familiar panic rising in her chest. Mind racing, she scrambled up and in the darkness headed towards the cave entrance.

Space.

She needed space.

Her feet scraped over loose stones, sending them skittering around, but she didn't care that there was noise; right now she needed to see that she wasn't trapped.

That there was a way out.

Nearing the mouth of the cave, she could see that night was slowly giving way to a gray dawn. Sighing as she leaned against the cave wall, Max tried to still her racing heart.

"You ok?"

Max was slightly startled by the unexpected voice and turned to see that Jack was moving hesitantly towards her with concern on his face.

"Yeah…just my claustrophobia clamoring for attention." She said with a faint smile, but the joke fell flat. Softly sighing, Max stared at the slowly increasing light outside and wondered how long they were going to be stranded.

Jack knew what it felt like to be prisoner of ones fears. After being buried alive for close to two thousand years he couldn't bring himself to sleep in the Hub, in his small room down there, for a number of years. Hell, it still gave him a tight enclosed feeling if he had to sleep there overnight. "Happen often?"

"Not really, only when I've been in a small space for awhile." Max distantly replied. She didn't feel like talking yet at the same time she wanted to. It was confusing because she had never really talked with Jack even though they shared a connection with the Doctor. She had either been busy with her family and their needs or working at the Hub while he had been busy stopping the newest alien invasion, doomsday, or spending time with Ianto.

Jack looked at Max and saw some of himself in her. At that thought Jack wondered if that was why the TARDIS refused to budge, it sensed something about Atlantis that Max felt but might not know. But that was a silly theory, and pushing the thought away he focused on the matter at hand. "Anything I can do?"

Max shook her head as she slowly sat down on the floor while covering a yawn; she was still tired from the events of yesterday. "I just need to sit here for a little while."

"Mind if I keep you company, then?" Jack asked and before she could answer, sat down next to her.

* * *

Evan opened his eyes and stifled a yawn, taking in his surroundings. He was still in the cave and the hopes that what had happened yesterday was just a dream were dashed. Standing, he could see that the main part of the cave was lighter and realized that day must have broken. Standing up and stretching, he wondered where Piper and Jack had gone off to and walking out into the main cave he spotted two figures towards the opening.

Moving as cautiously as he could, Evan slowly pulled out his sidearm and slowly moved towards the figures but relaxed when he saw that it was the two people he had been looking for.

They were both asleep; Jack was slumped against the wall while Piper's head was on Jack's lap, his head tipped back against the wall and he had an arm wrapped, in a slightly protective way, around her.

Looking at the two, Evan was suddenly struck with a feeling of jealousy and was left scratching his head at why he was feeling that way.


	20. Hell’s Bell’s

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth asked Chuck as she stared at the computer readout in confusion.

"Yes ma'am." Chuck replied, confused as well. "This is the second time it's happened."

"Hmm." Elizabeth said, eyebrows coming together in thought. The readings they were getting from the 'gate were odd, nothing like they'd seen before. And like Chuck had said, it was the second time that night that it had happened; the first time had been just after midnight. The 'gate had activated and everyone in the room had waited for a message to come through, but none had. In the back of her mind Elizabeth wondered if it was the Dalek's; that they had decided to make their move on Atlantis but it had shut-off after a few minutes leaving everyone puzzled.

Now that it was happening a second time she was all but sure that it was the things that the Doctor feared so much that he wanted to do everything he could to prevent them gaining a hold on the city.

"What's going on?"

Elizabeth looked up to see the Doctor striding, with Martha not far behind, up the steps and towards her. "They're here." She replied in an even tone although on the inside she was more than worried.

"Really?" the Doctor asked, concern flashing across his face while he slipped on his glasses and leaned towards the computer screen. He looked at it for a few minutes before brightening and straightening up. "Oh, it's not them."

"How do you know?"

"If it was them there wouldn't be breaks in the audio pattern." He moved his finger across the screen to illustrate his point. "They'd just be talking in a loop with hardly any interruption."

"Then what is it? It has to be something otherwise the 'gate would have shut down by now." Chuck asked, wondering who, or what, was on the other side of the wormhole. "Besides the address is for the planet where Colonel Sheppard and everyone went to the other day."

"That's-what's your name?" the Doctor asked, looking at the man with the Canadian flag on his jacket.

"Chuck."

"That's true, Chuck. But you're forgetting one thing."

"What's that?"

"We still have people on the planet." The Doctor said with a smile on his face. He had to give Jack some credit; he hadn't thought that his wrist comm would've been able to get through.

"But how-" Elizabeth asked, not sure she was following what the Doctor was saying.

"A bit beyond your understanding," the Doctor interrupted as he took out his screwdriver. "but let's just go with that it's like a radio." Pointing it at the control panel, the screwdriver lit up and hummed for a few seconds before turning off.

Then a 3-D blue image of Jack appeared in front of them.

"Jack!" Martha exclaimed, her face brightening up instantly when she saw the image of him pop up.

There was a pause then the image of Jack, which was almost life size, spoke, "_Martha! Good to see you all. Including you Doctor._"

"Jack." The Doctor said in slightly warning tone although he was grinning as well. "Where are the others?"

"_Alive and coming, although you might want to break-out those handy nano-genes if you've got any._"

"They're hurt?" Elizabeth asked while signaling for Chuck to radio Carson and have him be here when Major Lorne and the rest came through.

"_Nothing too serous._" Jack replied shortly, there were more important things to talk about. "_Doctor listen, there are-_"

Jack was cut off by a shout and as he turned towards the sound the voice had come from was knocked to the ground by another body. The image suddenly cut out as everyone heard the loud rapport of an explosion.

"Jack!" the Doctor and Martha both exclaimed while realizing that the Dalek's must have found them.

"Jack, you there?" the Doctor repeated, ready to fix the image if the need arose, although he knew it was useless since the problem was on Jack's side. "Jack!"

"_Doctor!_"

The sound of Jack's voice made Martha breathe a sigh of relief, but the fact that they couldn't see him anymore canceled out that relief. "Jack are you all right?"

"_I'm fine, but I think that we've worn out our welcome here. We're comin' through!_"

At that pronouncement Elizabeth opened her mouth to tell Chuck to deactivate the shield but before she could speak, he had already pressed the control that held the shield in front of the 'gate, dropping it. "They're good to come through." Chuck called out just as Doctor Beckett and a few of his staff arrived.

"Jack, you're good to come back!" the Doctor yelled, hoping that he hadn't said it too late.

Everyone waited anxiously for the trio to come through and a few seconds passed with nothing happening. Then they heard gun-fire echoing through the wormhole towards them and Jack suddenly appeared, stumbling and almost losing his grip on Max, who was unconscious. But he caught himself and her before going down and spotted Beckett and the gurney. Moving quickly Jack pushed past the Doctor, who looked startled to see them in such an unkempt state, and set Max gently down while hoping that she wasn't hurt to bad.

"_Damn it Max, you knew I'd come back. Why'd you have to play hero?_" he thought as he looked down at her dirt and blood streaked face, feeling guilty for not paying attention; they knew that the Dalek's were nearing the area and he should have kept an eye out. Instead he was focused on getting through to Atlantis and letting them know what was going on.

Seeing the injured women Carson moved into action; opening his med-kit he asked Captain Harkness, "What happened?"

"There was an explosion...she knocked me out of the way." Jack replied, not tearing his eyes from Max. He was vaguely aware that Evan had come through not far behind, still shooting even though Jack had told him he was wasting his ammo, and that the 'gate had disengaged. Now that the danger has passed, the aftermath was slightly less chaotic. But he didn't care; right now his only concern was Max. Looking at Carson he asked, "Is she going to be ok, Doc?"

Carson's eyes passed over the young lass' still form and noticed the make-shift sling as well as the cuts and bruises that littered her arms and face. However what worried him the most was the blood on her ear, but he wouldn't know for sure if it was from a cut or something more serious until he got her back to the infirmary. Giving the Captain a reassuring smile he said, "I'm sure tha' she'll be fine. Leave her with me an' she'll be up an' about in no time."

Jack gave Carson a relieved smile and gently squeezed Max's hand before making his way over to the others, pressing a number of buttons on his wrist strap; strengthening and extended the field on the necklace, making sure that even if they removed it her disguise would hold up.

"-took out a Dart like it was a paper airplane. I have no idea what the hell those things are." Evan said, his mind still spinning from everything that had occurred in the last forty-eight hours.

"They're called Dalek's and we need to get everyone out of here as soon as possible." Jack said from his position behind Lorne. Glancing at the Doctor briefly, he looked at Weir while continuing, "Although I bet the Doctor already told you that and you didn't believe him."

Elizabeth shifted under Captain Harkness' gaze and stared back at him trying to be unfazed by what had just happened. "I didn't say that."

"But you were thinking it. Trust me, first time I saw them I didn't quite believe it either but it took them less than ten minutes to kill a twenty-six level Game Station full of humans. Just imagine how fast they could kill an entire city and divide it by two. You have no idea what you're up against."

"Then what do you suggest we do Captain?" Elizabeth replied, folding her arms and not breaking his gaze. "Run and leave the rest of the people in this galaxy to die? I'm sorry but I can't do that. If we unleashed these things, then we need to stop them."

Not waiting for a reply Elizabeth turned to John, who had been summoned when the 'gate first activated, and said, "Tell Rodney and the other department heads to get their staff and be ready to head to the Alpha Site. Also have Teyla go to the mainland to bring the Athosians back here. I know that they're going to protest but stress to her that they're in greater danger if they remain there where we can't protect them."

Elizabeth knew that there would be a lot of questions as to what was going on and why she was evacuating the city on such short notice and while she knew that they all deserved an explanation, from what she had just seen Elizabeth knew that it would have to come at a later time. Turning to Captain Harkness and Lorne she continued, "I want to know everything that happened on that planet."

"Yes ma'am." Jack said; no trace of flirtation in his voice as he nodded his head as did Lorne.

* * *

Max felt warm; like she had spent the day in the bright summer sun. It felt nice and she didn't want the feeling to go away. But there was an insisting voice asking her to open her eyes.

Gingerly opening her eyes she saw a blurred figure next to her and realized that it was Carson. "_Am I dead?_"

Carson chuckled at the question, "'fraid not lass." he said smiling warmly at her as he took out his penlight to see if she had any lingering signs of a concussion. "I don't think Captain Harkness would've let me live if that happened."

For a few moments, Max was confused; if she wasn't dead then what was Carson doing there? Then it all came back to her and she tried to swallow the panic welling up inside of her.

Carson noticed the panic in her eyes and rushed to reassure her, "Don' worry, you just had a hard knock to the head. How are you feelin'?"

"Like I did after my hen night." Max said, a faint smile ghosting across her face. Slightly wincing at a stab of pain after Carson was done examining her she glanced down at the cast that covered her arm. "How bad is it?"

"Luckily it was a closed fracture, we didn't have to go in to reset it." Carson replied while writing on a chart. "You should have full use of it in about seven months."

"Seven months?" Max asked, eyebrows rising at the statement. How was she going to explain this to Evan? On the heels of that thought was one that the Doctor might have something in the TARDIS that could speed up the healing process. It was a long shot but right now she'll take anything. The worry pushed aside, she focused on what Carson was saying.

"-keep you for a few hours, just to make sure. I'll give you somethin' for your arm if you need it."

"Thanks." Max smiled. Carson nodded and flashed her a quick smile before leaving. Then Max was alone again and she sighed, sinking further against the bed. The last thing she remembered was that Jack was about to be taken out by a Dalek and she pushed him out of the way. Thinking back on it, she realized it had been a foolish move but at the time she didn't want to see him get hurt.

Right now, she just hoped that he wasn't too pissed off at her because they had bigger things to deal with at the moment; the Dalek's now knew the address for Atlantis and it was only a matter of time before they came through.

* * *

"Do you really want to go?" Jack asked as they made their way to the Jumper Bay. After getting out of the infirmary, Max had looked for Jack and demanded to know what had happened since they had come back and then learning that Teyla was going to the mainland in order to talk with the Athosians decided that she needed to go as well.

Max nodded her head as they entered the Bay and towards the Jumper that was leaving. "I know them, they won't believe that anything can be worse than the Wraith and it's going to take an inordinate amount of convincing that they need to come back to the city." Raising an eyebrow she looked at Jack while asking, "Why are _you_ coming?"

"I'm not letting you go anywhere by yourself." Jack replied with a knowing look. "This place has proven to be unpredictable and besides, the way your eyes lit up when you found out that Teyla was going to the mainland they must be something special to you."

"They are." Max replied softly. When she first arrived the Athosians had been somewhat welcoming but after six months of trying to stay one step ahead of death had brought her closer to them that she had ever hoped.

Spotting Teyla, Max took a deep breath and walked up to the Athosian leader while smiling, "Teyla how are you?"

Teyla looked up with she heard her name and saw that it was two of the Doctor's companions; Piper and Captain Harkness, if she remembered right. Returning the smile, she said, "I am fine, is there something I can help you with?"

I-we-Jack-Captain Harkness and I that is-were wondering if we could accompany you to the village and help persuade the Athosians to come to the city." Max said, stealing a glance at Jack while she was talking and seeing that for once he looked like he had nothing to say.

Teyla looked at the young woman with a mixture of confusion and surprise. True she hadn't seen the things that the Doctor feared so much and wondered if something could be worse than the Wraith, because even _she_ was having trouble believing it. But she trusted Doctor Weir and would try to convince the leaders that they needed so seek refuge in the city of the Ancestors. "I was not aware that Elizabeth had asked you to go as well."

Jack and Max exchanged a slightly guilty look as she explained, "Well...Doctor Weir didn't exactly ask us. We-I figured that you could use some help convincing Halling and the other elders to come."

Teyla was silent, thinking. She knew that she should ask Doctor Weir if it was acceptable the pair accompanied her, but at the same time they didn't have much spare time if they wanted to get everyone into the city before the Dalek's arrived. "If you wish you may." She replied, slightly inclining her head and then walking into the Jumper.

As they flew to the mainland, Teyla found herself thinking that it was slightly surprising that they wanted to help so badly; there were times when the Athosian woman felt that other than Doctors' Weir and Beckett as well as Colonel Sheppard the rest of the Expedition didn't really care about the village. It wasn't until they were walking towards the village did she voice the question to Piper.

Max chuckled slightly while giving Teyla a soft smile. She understood where the woman was coming from and while it _was_ the general attitude of the city, it would change over the years. But that was still to come and she couldn't come right out and say that so she decided to say the first thing that came to mind, "A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle."

"Where did you hear that?" Teyla asked, the surprise evident on her face and in her voice.

Momentarily confused, Max realized that she had just quoted an Athosian saying; one that most of the Expedition didn't know right now. Feeling her heart beat just a little bit faster she thought fast. "I...uh, must have...overheard Colonel Sheppard using it last time he was at the SGC." Not waiting for Teyla to ask any more questions she increased her pace towards the hamlet, which had just appeared.

Teyla watched Piper hasten away from her and wondered who she really was. From what Major Lorne had said, as well as Doctor Weir's suspicions, there was more to all of them that met the eye.

* * *

Jack was at his wits end. He thought that Max and Teyla had been exaggerating when they said that the Athosians wouldn't believe them, but after two hours of getting nowhere he was ready to leave them and hope that they survived. But Jack also knew that he wouldn't give up because if he didn't at least try the guilt would be too much.

Glad that Teyla had suggested a break in order to cool rising tempers, Jack stepped out of the tent and took a deep breath of the warming, but still somewhat crisp, air. Since it looked like this planet had seasons just like Earth, and observing that some of the leaves were tinged with a bit of yellow or red as well as the air got warmer as it grew lighter Jack would guess that they'd arrived at the early onset of fall or late summer.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Max asked, stopping besides Jack.

"Yup, much more peaceful than in there."

Max gave Jack a knowing smile while not saying anything. They stood together silently watching the Athosians go about their daily lives, not knowing about the gathering storm on the horizon. Both of them hoped that it could be stopped before more lives were lost.

Jack's gaze wondered towards the children, who were playing among the tents, and smiled while remembering the innocence that came with such an age. Knowing that Max would be teaching them in a matter of months, he turned to ask how it was seeing them at such a young age again but saw that she was disappearing around the corner. Puzzled by the action he wondered what had caused it when he heard a woman call out, "Anglia, Devon! Time for your lessons!"

"_Now it makes sense._" Jack thought to himself. He knew that Max and Evan's eldest were adopted, they didn't hide that fact, but the circumstances surrounding it had never been made clear to him. Knowing that she needed time, but not wanting to field the council without her, Jack went after her.

* * *

Max tried to keep the tears from falling but failed. At first she had loved seeing the Athosian children she had first taught, even seeing Anglia and Devon had brought a faint smile but then she had spotted their mother and with it memories of those six months of living hell.

"_Promise me that if anything happens to Degon and I, they'll stay together." Jana said in a hushed tone, not wanting to wake the sleeping children. _

"_Jana, nothing's going-"_

"_It might and most likely will. You've seen how many have died in just three months. Ancestors know how many of those...things there are."_

_Max was silent, knowing that Jana was right; but she still held onto the hope that Atlantis, or at least John and Evan, was still looking for them. She was one of the few that still held onto that belief, and she didn't care if in the end she was the only one; all she wanted was to be back in the city with her family._

_Jana took Max's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Just promise me they won't be separated. If something happens to the both of us there's no one else to care for them. You've done so much for the ones already orphaned that I know they'll be in good hands."_

_Max gave the younger woman a small smile and nodded, _"_I promise."_

_A month later those words resurfaced when Degon and Jana were killed by the creatures hunting the remaining Athosians._

Taking a deep breath, she tried to gather herself together; now wasn't the time to be falling apart, when Max heard a voice, "You ok?"

Looking up she saw that it was Jack. "Yeah...just got something in my eyes." She said quickly, trying to move away from Jack but he grabbed her arm and gently pulled her close to him.

Gently placing his hands on her face, Jack tilted it towards the sun and looked into her eyes. "There doesn't seem to be anything in them." he said softly.

"Maybe it got washed away." Max replied just as softly, eye fixed on his deep brown orbs.

"You know what?" Jack asked as he wiped away the tears still on Max's face with his thumbs.

"Yes?"

"I think that you only imagined that there was something in your eyes when there wasn't."

Max smiled faintly, "You know what else?"

"Hmm?"

"You smell _really_ good."

Jack laughed and took a step back, "So people have said." Glancing back the way they had come he continued, "We should get back before they start wondering where we went and what we're getting up to."

Max couldn't help but laugh at the comment, "Guess so." As they made their way back towards the meeting she asked, "Where do you get your cologne? I would love to get some for Evan."


	21. Plans

"How's it going?"

John turned around to see Elizabeth walk up to the railing and stand beside him. They were overlooking the room, where people and boxes were fighting for space, "Slowly. Although Teyla managed to convince the Athosians that they'd be better waiting the fight out at the Alpha Site so I'm sending Jumpers to bring them over."

"Good." Elizabeth said, nodding her head slowly. "Once they're here they can go through but right now we need to concentrate on getting our own people through. What about defenses? We don't know if these things are going to come through the 'gate or by ship."

"From what I saw it didn't look like they had any ships so they'd most likely try to get through the shield. I'll set up a perimeter around the room. Do you think Rodney could rig something up to the 'gate that'll stall them from coming through?"

"I can ask." Elizabeth said, watching the mass of people and equipment slowly edge towards the active wormhole. They then lapsed into silence, each wondering if this was really it; the final battle in which everyone would give their lives in order to save the city they had only just regained.

John broke the silence by asking, "What about the SGC? What do they think about the situation?"

Elizabeth shifted slightly at the question, surprised yet at the same time not because she knew it was only a matter of time until the matter was brought up. "I haven't told them."

"Elizabeth-"

"I know, but there's not much they can do other than give us orders. We're on our own for this one, John."

Sheppard was silent, knowing that it was true but at the same time they still had to let Earth know what was happening in case drastic measures had to be taken.

Elizabeth sighed, the internal debate coming to a close, "I'll have Chuck dial Earth as soon as the Athosians go through."

* * *

The Doctor sighed and ran a hand through his hair, frustrated that he wasn't finding the information that he needed. "_It has to be here somewhere._" He thought, tapping a few keys at random. "If I was hidden information where would I be?" he muttered to himself.

"Hiding obviously."

The Doctor looked up at the comment and saw Jack as he closed the door to the TARDIS and walk up the ramp towards him. "What are you looking for?" Max asked, trying to get a look at the screen that was in front of the Doctor.

"Where have you two been?" Martha asked peering around the column. "You've been gone almost all day."

"Yeah well, the Athosians didn't want to leave so we had to convince them that they needed to or they could die." Jack said while taking off his greatcoat and slinging it over the railing. "Finally Teyla was able to get them to come, but they weren't happy about it."

"They just don't want to admit that there actually is something worse than the Wraith in Pegasus." Max replied, stifling a yawn. It had been a long day so far and it was only half-over. Plus her arm was starting to ache again and she felt like she needed a shower, still feeling grungy. Slowly walking away from the Doctor, she yawned again while rubbing her eyes, "I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, me too." Jack said, moving with her, heading towards the hallway. "But you know what? I'm really wired. What do you say I take you back to my room and eat your pus-"

"JACK!" Martha yelled, breaking in before he could finish the thought; although they all knew what he was going to say.

Max paused, letting what Jack said sink in and not sure if he was actually serious. Then she caught the grin on his face and gave him a whack to the head while laughing, "Sorry but only if you're named Lorne."

"Hey I can change my name." Jack said as they walked out of the Engine Room.

The Doctor caught the last part of the exchange and raised an eyebrow at the newest revelation. "_So she's married to the Major...hmm, that certainly explains why she wanted to change her appearance. She must not meet him until later._" He thought to himself as he turned back to the screen.

* * *

Max heard movement and opened her eyes while mumbling, "'s there?"

"Just me." Jack said, turning on the light then moving closer to her while trying not to jar the bed; the room was nice. It had that comfortable feeling, like your favorite room in the house and it was roomy but large enough for a medium sized bed, dresser, a closet and some walking room.

Max squinted against the sudden change in light while sitting up and rubbing her eyes, "It's been an hour already?"

Jack's gaze flitted across the room, taking in the nick-knacks that were scattered through out the room; rocks from Glitterati, a mid-Elizabethan era dress with corset and hoop as well as a pre-French Revolution outfit (including all the accoutrements) fighting for space in the closet, and a multi-colored scarf slung over the dresser. "Hour and a half, I let you sleep in."

"Aw, aren't you nice." Max replied, standing and trying to straighten her hair and clothes while at the same time trying not to lose her balance and crash into Jack.

"I am. How's your arm?"

"Better now that it's healed." Max said, flexing it slightly in order to loosen it up. "It's nice to know that you and the Doctor aren't the only regenerators on this ship."

Jack chuckled at the comment and nodded his head, "You ready?"

"Where we going?"

"The Doctor wants us to see if we can get some things from the Expedition before the Dalek's arrive."

"Why?"

"Didn't say, but I think he's up to something." Jack stated as he walked towards the door.

"He's _always_ up to something." Max said as she edged into the hallway.

As they walked out of the TARDIS Jack handed Max a list while saying, "See if you can get these while I take the other half."

Max sighed, "I don't see why you need me; you could have gotten these things yourself. I could still be sleeping."

"Only if you wanted to fall into a coma." Jack replied and then smiled as Max stuck out her tongue as a retort. "Very mature."

"I know." Max said as she moved towards the door.

* * *

Rodney was frustrated. Elizabeth had wanted him to somehow stall the 'gate activating and those things getting through but that was hard to do with just one ZedPM and right now they didn't have time figure out where any extra ones were much less find them. And it didn't help that most of his department were either at the Alpha Site or heading there. "_Thank goodness I needed Radek here._" He thought as he heard footsteps.

"Hey gorgeous."

McKay paused briefly and looked around to see who the voice was talking to but didn't see anyone in the room except himself and Captain Harkness. Raising an eyebrow he asked, "You talking to me?"

Jack leaned against the doorframe, "You're the only one here aren't you?"

Slightly unnerved Rodney felt his face heat up and he turned back to his computer while stammering slightly, "Y-You called me gorgeous."

Jack smiled and moved into the room itself, "And you are, well your ass is; the way your pants are stretched across it."

At that statement Rodney turned towards Jack so that he was facing the man and backed up against the wall. Clearing his throat he tried to speak, "Erm...you...er...you got the wrong guy...it's not that you're not good looking...um...great in fact it's just...uh...well I'm straight...I've got a girlfriend...called Katie...who's a girl."

Jack just winked at Rodney while glancing at the laptop and seeing what Rodney had been working on, "Even better, the more the merrier. Bring her along and I can guarantee that we'll have one hell of a time."

"Radek!" Rodney somehow managed to squeak out, his face having gone from flushed to pale in no time after Jack's last comment. Pushing past the Captain he beat a hasty retreat towards the door while calling out, "Radek where are you? I need your help...Radek..."

Jack watched Doctor McKay and chuckled, people in the twenty-first century were still skittish about those things but they'd get over it as time went on. Double checking the list he quickly found the items that the Doctor needed and headed out into the hallway and had only gone a few feet when Max appeared. "Find everything?" he asked as she fell into step with him.

"Most of it. I just ran into Rodney." Max said without preamble and raising an eyebrow. "He looked rather flustered; you wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

"Nope." Jack replied, putting on his most angelic face while rounding a corner.

"Uh-huh." Max replied in a tone that said that she wasn't convinced; Jack was a natural flirt and she'd seen that he'd do anything to get the end result.

* * *

Elizabeth watched the wormhole disengage and didn't move from her spot behind Chuck. She was aware of him and John looking at her, waiting for her to issue orders on how to handle the current situation. She was also aware of the two options that were in front of her; ignoring it for the time being or decide to act before the Dalek's came.

"Elizabeth?" John said, knowing that what General Landry had just told them was a surprise but at the same time he knew that there had been doubts from the beginning.

"Do we know where they are?" she said, still looking at the still 'gate.

Chuck quickly pulled up the screen and replied, "They're in the storage room where their ship is, or at least two of them are."

Elizabeth nodded and then turned around to face John, "Take as many men as you need and take them to the brig. Find the other two and put them in a separate cell. We can deal with them after the Dalek's."

John nodded and moved towards the stairs without a word. As he walked across the floor he activated his headset to have Ronon as well as Cadman and her team meet him by the armory and then to let Major Lorne what they had just learned.

* * *

"Major!" Jack called out when he spotted Lorne, a smile appearing on his face. He walked up to Lorne while saying, "Just the man I was looking for."

"Really?" Evan asked as Jack, and Piper slightly behind him, reached him.

"You bet. I, actually the Doctor, was wondering if we could borrow a Naquadah generator."

Evan nodded his head, "I'm sure Doctor McKay wouldn't mind." He noticed that both Jack and Piper tried to hide smirks when he mentioned Rodney. "Something I should know?"

Max shook her head while stealing a glance at Jack who was looking far too amused with himself, "No, although we were just by Doctor McKay's lab and he…wasn't there."

"Oh, then in that case I'll take you to where the extra ones are myself."

As they made their way through the hallways Evan's headset suddenly activated, "_Lorne, you there?_"

It was John and he sounded slightly anxious. Wondering what was going on he tapped his headset and replied, "Sir?"

"_Where are you?_"

"I'm just showing Harkness and Halliwell where the spare generators are."

"_Don't, they're not who they say they are._"

"Sir?"

"_Weir just finished talking with General Landry; he said that there's no deep-cover team in Pegasus or even at the SGC, and he's never heard of the Doctor, Martha Jones, or Piper Halliwell._"

"What about the Captain?" Lorne asked softly, not wanting them to overhear.

"_There _was_ a Captain Harkness, in Britain and he went AWOL in 1941. I'm on my way to their ship to take the other two to the brig. Get them into a room and radio your position, we'll come and back you up._"

"Yes sir." Lorne felt betrayed. If they weren't with the SGC then who _were_ they with? He felt dread rise in his throat as he realized he could be leading the Trust or some unknown faction to the generators where they could do some damage to the city, leaving them vulnerable.

And that made sense, they hadn't even heard of these things until the four of them appeared and Doctor Weir had been considering turning down Rodney's request to go back to the planet where all this started. But she changed her mind once the Doctor and everyone else showed up.

Not knowing what to think, Lorne knew one thing; he had to get them away from the generators. Reaching the hallway that led down to the generator room, he paused for a second and then turned left instead of right. Then he made another left, right, left, and left again.

After that his knowledge of the area got a little sketchy so he tried to act nonchalant. Nodding his head in the direction of a door said, "They're in here."

As they walked Max got the feeling that they were going the wrong direction but wasn't quite sure because she'd never been down to this part of the city all that often. However after the last few turns started to wonder if they weren't lost, but pushed the thought to the back of her mind; she was just nervous about the impending attack and once they were dealt with the Doctor could focus on getting the four of them back to Cardiff.

Jack raised an eyebrow at the many twists and turns they were taking to get to the generator room, he thought that it would have been in a more accessible spot but he didn't know that much about Atlantis so he could have been wrong. But Jack was starting to get that familiar feeling that something about all of this wasn't right.

Stepping to the side, Lorne waited until they were inside before he ventured in himself. He knew that it was risky locking himself in the room with them, but Lorne needed to make sure they didn't try anything. Pulling out his sidearm Evan pointed it at the duo, "Hands where I can see them and stay where you are." Lorne thenreached up to activate his radio so he could let Sheppard know where they were.

When Jack saw that there weren't any generators in the room everything fell into place. He turned towards the door to get out but it slid shut and locked. Then Lorne pulled his side-arm, told them to stay where they were, and radioed their position. "Major, what's-"

"Quiet." Evan interrupted Jack before he could finish the question. He didn't want to answer questions that should be obvious; that they'd gotten wise to their little game before things got worse.

Jack knew that he needed to gain the upper hand if he wanted any kind of rational explanation and also knew that he needed to act fast before any kind of back up arrived. But how to accomplish it without dying or getting Max hurt was another matter entirely.

Max hoped that she could talk their way out of this, but the fact that he had a gun pointed at them made that look like a dim possibility. "Evan-" she said, stepping forwards slightly.

"Shut up!" Evan shouted, pointing his gun at Piper…if that was her real name. She froze and fell silent while staring at him. In all honesty he wanted a reason to shoot them, and knew that since they were in a locked room with no cameras it would be easy for an 'accident' to happen…and it's not like they'd listen to Captain Harkness anyways.

But at the same time there was something stopping him. Lorne couldn't explain it, but there was something that was keeping him from pulling the trigger and shooting Piper, it almost felt like the same thing that he felt at the cave and it completely bewildered him.

Seeing that his eyes were on Max, Jack saw his window of opportunity and knew that he had to move before he lost it. Moving, he lunged towards Lorne and tackled him to the ground. The gun fell from his hand and Jack pushed it farther away from them. He then stood, grabbed the Major's jacket and hauled him up as well, slamming him into a wall.

Not giving the Major a chance to figure out what was going on, Jack punched him a few times to knock him off balance and then threw him into a stack of containers in the corner of the room. The containers collapsed, and Evan didn't get up.

Breathing hard, Jack looked at Max while asking, "Can you get us outta here?"

"No."

"Well try." Jack said, knowing that they had a fixed amount of time until either Lorne got back up and this time really did kill them or everyone else arrived.

Max just nodded and moved towards the control panel, pressing the middle crystal but nothing happened. Trying a second and third time yielded the same response and Max hit the wall next to the panel in frustration. The door slid open with a faint hiss and Max raised an eyebrow.

John rounded the corner with Ronon as well as Cadman and her team just in time to see Piper and Jack step out of a room. Raising his sidearm, he shouted, "Stop!"

"Shit...RUN!" Jack yelled, grabbing Max's arm and pulling her with him as he moved in the opposite direction. He had no idea where they were going but all he wanted to do right now was lose Colonel Sheppard and his posse then get back to the TARDIS so they could figure out when everything went sideways. Turning into a new corridor, Jack spotted a vent and an idea sprang into his mind.

Slowing up, he got down on his knees and grabbed the grate while giving it a sharp tug. It came off easily and Jack set it to the side while motioning for Max to get in. They didn't have much time, Sheppard and the others were close behind.

Max looked down at the small vent and quickly realized what Jack wanted her to do. "Uh-uh." she said shaking her head. "No way, not happening."

"We don't have time, either get in or start moving." Jack hissed as the footsteps got louder.

Max looked behind her and realized that she didn't have time to hide if she ran. So, she took a deep breath and climbed into the vent. The space was small, but big enough for her to move around it.

As soon as there was enough room, Jack crawled in after her and placed the grating back into the vent. Daring not to speak, Jack caught Max's eye and slowly pulled out his TARDIS key; looping it over his head. Nodding, she pulled out her own key and placed it over her neck as well.

Just as after they slipped on their keys they heard footsteps getting louder and as Jack tried to move as quietly as he could he heard Sheppard speak. Max and Jack both paused in the vent, holding their breath and hoping that John and the others would move on and not linger.

Luck must have decided that they owed them one because not long after the voices and footsteps appeared they trailed off then disappeared completely. However they didn't move for several minutes just to make sure. When all remained silent on the other side Jack popped out the grating and crawled out. After Max crawled out and he replaced the grating they started up again, trying to figure out where they were in relation to the TARDIS while trying to avoid Colonel Sheppard and the rest of his group.

* * *

"Where _are_ they McKay?" John asked, the frustration in his voice clear. It had been almost an hour and they were still looking for the other half of the Doctor's team. He was getting tired of not being able to find them and every second they wasted was a second that they could do something to the city to leave them vulnerable to the Dalek's.

"_You're right on top of them._"

John took in his surroundings, as did everyone else with him, but didn't spot them. "No they're not, Rodney. Could they be in the duct work?"

"_No, you'd hear them. And besides, the ducts there are so small that you'd have to be a rat to fit inside._"

John sighed, his frustration growing by the second and decided that it might be more effective if he split everyone up. He sent Cadman and Wilkinson down the way they had just come while sending Palmer and Brennan down another corridor. That left him and Ronan to go up ahead and hopefully catch the two renegades.

Suddenly there was a loud thudding sound and John turned towards the sound but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. They stood there for awhile, waiting for something to happen but it never did so he left the room wondering what had caused that sound.

* * *

Max slowly let out the breath she had been holding when John had looked right at her, hoping that the key would keep working. They watched Ronan and John leave the room but stayed where they were incase they decided to double back or someone else came around however everything was silent.

Moving slowly, Jack took Max's hand and led her out of the room. It had been stupid of her to move and knock into the wall while John was there, if she had been any faster or he had really looked then they would've been in trouble. As it was, they were going to have to take their time to get back to the TARDIS; avoiding the main hallways and people just so someone wouldn't walk into them and break the filter.

* * *

The door of the TARDIS creaked open and Max slipped in while Jack kept a look out. She looked around, hoping to find the Doctor or Martha in the room but it was empty. "Hello?" Max called out as she walked further in and Jack walked in, but was greeted with silence.

"Doctor? Martha?" Jack called out while striding over to the control panel. No one answered his calls and as he cued up the archive footage from the last few hours said, "Come look at this."

Max made her way towards Jack and stood behind him as he watched John and everyone confront Martha and the Doctor at gunpoint, then lead them away. "Well I guess we now know what happened." She replied, sighing softly. Of all the times for things to head south. "But why did they suddenly turn on us?"

"Isn't it obvious? They contacted the SGC, mentioned us, and found out that we don't exist there."

"So what now?"

Jack turned around to look at Max, "Now we think of a way to get the Doctor and Martha back and then get out of here."

* * *

Max gazed at the moonlight and watched the tide come in while finishing the last of the HyperVodka she had brought with her. They had tried, unsuccessfully, to get the TARDIS working again and figure a way to get Martha and the Doctor back without becoming captured themselves. In the end she had gotten into a fight with Jack over how they had a responsibility to help the Expedition with the Dalek's.

Jack had said that she wasn't thinking objectively and needed to realize that it was going to be a loosing battle unless they managed to convince Weir and the rest that they needed their help, damn who they really were.

Max countered that she was and then stormed off, knowing that if she stayed then she'd say something that she might regret later. She _was_ thinking objectively and knew that it was a lost battle even before it began. However Max felt like she needed to protect everyone here because this was her past she was messing around with and if she screwed it up even more then the repercussions might be even more disastrous then what they already were.

"Truce?"

Max looked up at the voice even though she knew who it belonged to and saw Jack standing beside her holding two bottles of HyperVodka and a glass. Raising an eyebrow she asked, "How'd you find me?"

"There are only so many places you could have gone and I happen to know that you like spending time here." Jack said, grinning. Max just looked at him, not saying anything so he added, "The TARDIS told me."

Max felt a faint smile creep onto her face and she nodded, "How'd you find more of that stuff? I thought I grabbed the last bottle."

"I know where he keeps it stashed." Jack replied as he sat down next to her and passed her a bottle. "Although I must say I've never known a human to polish off an entire bottle in one setting."

Max chuckled as she took the bottle he offered and opened it up, pouring some into her glass. "It was only half a bottle and I diluted it with water. A lot of water. Only way I can drink the stuff."

"Ah, but you don't get the full effect then." Jack said as he opened his own bottle and took a swig straight from it.

"That's kind of the idea."

"Chicken."

Max quirked an eyebrow at the statement, "Is that a dare?" Jack just smiled, not saying anything. "Fine, I'll show you who's chicken." Max took her filled glass and downed the entire thing in one shot; it was cold in her mouth but got warmer as she swallowed. "_Fuck_, you could disinfect with that stuff." She gasped, coughing.

Jack laughed and tried not to spill any as his shoulders shook.

* * *

"-so then he looked straight at Marie Antoinette and, I swear to God, said, 'Why don't you just let them eat cake?'" Max said in-between giggles as they looked up at the ceiling which was dotted with faint lights pretending to be stars. She had no idea how long they'd been lying in the sand together; side by side, drinking and talking.

But it was a nice change of pace after the last few days of constantly being on the move. At first they had been silent, but then they warmed up and started talking about their different escapades with the Doctor. Although as time passed she seemed to being doing most of the talking, Jack only telling a few stories.

Jack laughed along and was glad that Max had relaxed a little; they needed to in order to face tomorrow. He let her do most of the story telling, not quite ready to share his travels with the Doctor, Rose, and Martha quite yet. Once they had stopped lapsing into giggles every time they fell silent, Jack asked, "What happened next?"

The smile that had been present most of the time on her face froze and then slowly faded. Looking away from Jack, Max turned her gaze onto the landscape and didn't answer for a few moments. "Well," she said softly, staring at the ceiling as if it would suddenly provide the answer. "we went on a few more trips and then I went back home."

Jack wondered, not for the first time, what had happened to make her leave the Doctor behind but knew that it must have been something pretty bad if she still refused to talk about it after all these years. Hell, he still refused to talk about The Year That Never Was, still having occasional nightmares about it.

Shifting around he turned to face Max and looked at her. "It's ok." He said softly. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Jack had a nice buzz going but wasn't so sloshed that he didn't know what he was doing. In fact Jack knew exactly what he was doing and knew that he was going to catch hell from Max for doing it. His kissed her gently and she didn't pull away.

Jack knew he had to end the kiss, but didn't want to. And from the way that she was returning the favor neither did Max. However he needed to breathe so with great effort he pulled away and looked at her. Swallowing he asked, "You sure you want to do this?"

Max looked at Jack and nodded her head, "But not here..."

Jack nodded his understanding and stood, helping Max up as well. Not wanting to waste a second, lest she change her mind, he pulled her towards the exit.

* * *

A/N: I'll be posting a "interlude" (of sorts) on my LJ in about a month...it'll only be on there 'cause I don't want to up the rating on here ;)


	22. Cheap Trick

A/N: The events of the 'Affair of the Diamond Necklace' have been altered to fit the story. Read, Review and Enjoy!

* * *

_Max made her way through the crowded ballroom and wished that the weather was warmer so the party could spill out onto the garden, but it was January so the room was crowded and it was hard not to bump into people. Especially when you were wearing such a huge dress. She tried to edge past two courtiers and accidentally stepped on someone's foot. _

"_Sorry." Max said quickly moving her foot and looking at the person she had trodden on. She couldn't tell who it was because of the mask he was wearing but at the same time didn't recognize him; although they had only been at Versailles for only a day and there were hundreds (if not thousands) in the palace alone._

_Jackson, or Jack as he liked to go by, looked at the courtesan who had stepped on his foot and flashed his most charming smile. "Don't worry about it." He replied, knowing that his wrist strap would translate for him as well as anything she said to him._

_Max smiled and felt herself blush a little at the man's gaze. She was about to excuse herself and go looking for the Doctor but then the music started playing and he held out his hand asking, "Care for a dance?"_

"_I-I don't know…" Max stammered, trying to play shy and not wanting to make it obvious that she didn't know any of the dances. _

"_Why not? It'll be fun. Besides, if I wait too long I might not be able to dance with you." Jack replied, flirting a little and knowing that if he had a lady on his arm it would be easier for him to move around and look for his target. Not waiting for a response he took her hand, moving towards the dance floor. Without missing a beat he took her other hand and started to move with the rest of the dancers, while scanning the room for the __Comtesse de Lamotte-Valois. She was supposed to be here and he needed to follow her in order to get the necklace. _

_Max didn't know what to think as they started to move around the floor, it was as if this was a dream and she'd wake up any moment in her apartment with another school day about to start. Her mind a blank Max tried to make it look like she knew the particular dance but then suddenly she knew exactly what to do; the steps appearing in her head. Knowing that it was the TARDIS giving them to her, Max was glad for that and quickly caught on to the repetition of the moves. Smiling at her dance partner a__s they glided across the room she couldn't help but feel guilty that she was enjoying herself while the Doctor was most likely getting into trouble. _

_Eyes scanning the crowd she looked for him, but it was hard to pick him out since he was dressed like everyone else. As the music came to an end, she stopped and finally spotted the Doctor. He locked eyes with her and motioned with his head that they needed to talk somewhere private. Turning to face her dance partner, Max opened her mouth to excuse herself but found that he was already gone. Wondering what that was all about, Max made her way through the crowd._

_A few hours later Max peered around the top__iary and watched the figures in the distance talk. Something was going on, but what she had no idea. All she knew was that Cardinal de Rohan was talking with Jeanne and Rétaux de Villette. Shivering in the cold night air, she wished that they would hurry up and go back inside so she could as well. Then she caught a glint in the torchlight and saw something being exchanged. Guessing that it was the necklace, she watched the trio part ways with Jeanne and Rétaux moving towards her. _

_Moving down and pressing against the topiary, she held her breath while hoping that they would turn before passing her. However she heard the crunch of gravel and then the sound of a hammer being pulled back. "Hand over the necklace and no one gets hurt." She heard a familiar voice say._

_Slowly moving forwards she saw the Comtesse and Rétaux facing another man. His back was to her, but there was something all too familiar about him. "-you want?" She heard Jeanne say, bringing her back to what was happening. _

"_Just give __me the necklace and everyone here lives." _

_Despite protests from__ Rétaux, Jeanne handed over the necklace (which Max thought was rather ugly, but fitting for who it was originally intended for) her hands slightly trembling. _

_While __keeping his gun trained on the duo and bowing slightly he said, "It's been a pleasure." He turned around to leave and that's when Max caught a look of his face in the torchlight; it was the mysterious stranger she had danced with before the Doctor found her. _

_Thoughts whirled around Max's head but she knew one thing; she couldn't let him get away with the necklace. Moving away from her hiding spot, she stood and said, "You can't take that."_

_Jack paused when he heard the new voice speak and looked in front of him to see it was the women he had left to trail the Comtesse. "Well this certanly complicates things." He said with a slight chuckle. Knowing that his partner was waiting for him at the drop point and if he didn't show then she was going to leave and he'd be stranded in 1785; something he didn't relish. _

"_Give it to me." Max said as she stretched out her hand._

"_Sorry, but no. I've got a client who's willing to pay rather nicely for this." Jack said. Not wanting to delay any longer he took off down one of the many paths of the garden. It would be easy to lose her; he'd been here so many times that he knew all the secret ins and outs of the palace._

"_Hey! Come back!" Max shouted as she grabbed the skirt of her dress and gave chase. As Max ran she was glad that she had decided to change into a simpler dress when she had the chance but wished that she was wearing her trainers._

Max opened her eyes and blinked a few times, still hazy from sleeping. Sitting up she processed her dream; it had been years since she had dreamed about Versailles, most likely because she hadn't thought about it until Jack had asked.

At the thought of him, the memories of last night came flooding back and Max could feel a faint blush appear on her face. Dimly she could hear the sound of water running and realized that he was showering. Not wanting to make things awkward between the two of them, Max realized that this would be a perfect time to leave and get ready on her own.

Standing quietly she gathered up her clothes, quickly dressed and then snuck out of his room.

Jack finished toweling off and wrapped it around his torso, although he wasn't hiding anything Max hadn't seen. At that thought he wondered if she was still sleeping or if she was waiting for him to finish so she could freshen up. Stepping into his room, he saw the empty bed and felt a slight stab in his heart, it hurt that Max felt she had to sneak out in order to avoid him. Jack guessed that she felt bad about it, he did as well; Lorne was his friend and he hated breaking that trust.

But it was over and done with; the best she could do now was survive and then they could talk about it.

* * *

Max walked into the Control Room and saw that Jack was already there, working on something. Taking a steadying breath, she walked towards him while asking, "So what's the plan?"

Jack looked up when Max spoke and then looked back down at the controls. "We need to convince Weir and Sheppard that they shouldn't lock us up."

Max stared at the column for a few minutes, wondering how they were going to survive the day. "Sounds like a plan to me." She said after awhile. Still avoiding Jack's gaze Max slowly walked around it while continuing to talk, "We should make sure they release the Doctor and Martha as well, he might even know how to get Atlantis to fight back."

"He might." Jack simply said, his eyes locked on Max as she continued her circuit.

Max finished her circuit of the column and took a deep breath while saying, "Then let's go."

* * *

"Is everything ready?" Elizabeth asked John as she walked up to him. It had been a restless night for her, every sound made her think that they'd been caught with their guard down. But it had reamained calm throughout the night and now that the sun was rising it was clear that the battle for Atlantis, for Pegasus, was quickly approaching.

"As ready as we'll ever be." John replied. They had finished shoring up the last of their defenses around midnight so he had everyone except a few get some rest; they were going to need everyone alert and ready to fight.

The city felt twenty times bigger now that only the military contingent was present, although Rodney and a few of his staff had remained behind at the request of Elizabeth in case something went wrong with the city during the fight it wouldn't be as big of a disaster it might have been if there was no one to fix it, and Carson and the majority of his staff (mainly the ones who had been here since the beginning) had refused to leave as well; citing that they could tend to the wounded once casualties started appearing so that every man could be used for defending the city.

And while John hoped that there wouldn't be many wounded, it was an idealistic thought; he knew that just from hearing about how the Dalek's took out an entire Wraith Hive in the space of a night and then turned their attentions to the trio on the planet.

At that thought he realized that they still had to deal with the two in the Doctor's ship. Out of the group it was those two who seemed to know the most about the city and it didn't help that they somehow managed to escape detection until they were safely inside their ship.

His headset clicked and John heard, "_Colonel, they've come out._"

John didn't need him to elaborate and activated his headset, "Take them to the brig. I'll meet you there."

"_Actually, they want to speak with you and Doctor Weir._"

John raised an eyebrow at the statement and wondered if it was some kind of trick. "We'll be there shortly." He then glanced towards Elizabeth and said, "Apparently they want to talk with us."

* * *

"I don't like it." John hissed as they walked through the hallways. "We still don't know who they are or what they want."

"Neither do I, but at the moment they're the only ones who know the most about these things and until we can deal with them we need their knowledge." Elizabeth replied, not happy about having to trust the pair either. Captain Harkness had made their case clear; the Expedition needed their help if they wanted to live and they could (hopefully) ensure that. She had been hesitant about listening to them and not just throwing them in the brig along with their other compatriots, but right now they needed every edge they could get in order to protect the city.

But that didn't mean she trusted them; in letting them help the Expedition they needed some kind of assurance, so the Doctor and Martha were staying in the brig until this was all over and they could afford time to delve into the matter.

* * *

Jack stood in front of the Stargate and looked down at his wrist strap, pressed a few buttons and then back up at the 'gate. "Try it now." He called out to McKay who was up at the control panel with a few other tech geeks. The Captain wasn't happy about not being able to free the Doctor and Martha but at the moment he'd take what he could get. And right now that was helping prepare for the Dalek invasion, so that's what he was doing.

Rodney inwardly sighed, Harkness was just waisting his time because there was no way this was going to work. But Elizabeth had wanted him to do anything that could give them an edge so he was humoring the Captain and ready to offer his own solution of dismantaling the 'gate so the Dalek's couldn't access the city instead of strenghtening the shield. Pressing a few panels he activated the 'gate as well as the shield and then looked at his computer.

Surprised at the readings, Rodney didn't want to admit to the Captain that he had been right, but a quick glance in his direction told him that he already knew. Slightly annoyed that he hadn't been able to figure out how to do that on his own, Rodney now turned his focus on to how they were going to maintain that amount of power it was taking to keep up the strength with only one ZedPM. It looked like they were going to have to cut power to a number of secondary systems and weaken some of the shielding in sections of the city but Rodney wasn't worried about that, what he was worried about was if they were going to come through this alive.

* * *

Kevin Pierce looked up when he heard someone enter the infirmary and saw that it was Piper. Walking over to her, he smiled and said, "I see your arm's healed. Mind if I ask how?"

Max wasn't sure why she was here, maybe because Kevin had always been there for her; seen her through Miranda's interesting arrival and her numerous miscarriages and as a result they had become close friends. Softly smiling she shook her head and said, "Sorry, but I can't tell you."

"If you did, you'd have to kill me wouldn't you?" Kevin said with a wink and a smile. "What can I help you with?"

"Do you have any seasick pills? 'cause honestly I could use some." She said with a rueful smile. Normally the gentle movement of the city as waves passed wouldn't have bothered her, but lately they were and she wanted to be ready when the time came.

Kevin slightly chuckled, "Not quite used to the city moving are you? I think we have…" He trailed off as there was a low rumbling sound and suddenly the windows shattered. Everyone ducked and moved as the panes of glass became shards and hurled themselves inside. Max felt Kevin pull her body towards his and they crashed to the ground together, his hands protecting her head.

Everyone waited to make sure that there were no more errant shards of glass in the air before picking themselves up and starting to assess the damage done by the deadly missiles. Kevin slowly stood and brushed off the glass that had landed on him, then helped Piper up.

"You ok?" Kevin asked, looking at her with concern evident on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Max replied in a slightly distracted voice. As everyone started to assess the damage done to the infirmary as well as themselves, Max slowly made her way towards the window. Glass crunched under her shoes and she could feel the wind whip around her and shivered as a particularly big gust blew through.

Cautiously peering out, she looked around for the source of the disturbance and finding it, gasped in surprise, "They have ships."

* * *

"They have ships?" Elizabeth asked, the latest development adding more trouble to an already troublesome situation. "How many?"

"Too many to count." Chuck said, tapping away furiously at the laptop in front of him. "They came out of nowhere, our radar never registered them; not even the 'Lantian scans."

Elizabeth turned away from the screen to frown at Jack. "You didn't tell me that they had ships."

Jack shrugged, projecting calm although his heart was pounding so hard inside his chest that he felt it was going to explode out. "I didn't think they had them."

Elizabeth knew that she had to act fast in order for them to stay on top of things. Turning away from Jack she faced John while asking, "How many men can you spare?"

"Enough." John replied, catching onto the idea and moving down the steps towards the exit as he tapped his headset.

Jack watched John go and knew that it was a suicide mission but at the same time they had to do everything they could to fight back. "Where's the Jumper Bay?" he asked Weir, an idea suddenly forming in his mind.

"Right above us." She replied, slightly puzzled at the question. "Why do-" she started to ask but cut off as Jack took off in the same direction John had gone a few seconds earlier. Watching him disappear, she shook her head at the strangeness of the entire situation but then returned to the present and the situation at hand. They needed to get the shield up and keep it up for as long as they could.

She opened her mouth to ask Rodney when he could get it up but before she could get a word out there was a loud rumbling and then the entire city felt like it was shaking. Everyone reached for something to hold onto in order to stay upright and the ones who weren't able to went flying to the floor.

Alarms started wailing and Elizabeth shouted over them in order to be heard, "Rodney, what was that?"

McKay quickly tapped a number of keys on his laptop and then replied, "They hit the city. I don't know what it was but there's minimal damage; nothing structurally important was hit."

"Get the shield up!" Elizabeth yelled, her mind thinking fast.

"I'll need to take a number of systems off-line in order to keep the shield running-"

"That's fine! Just get it up!"

Rodney nodded and started tapping away at the keyboard. All of a sudden the majority of the lights went out as did the alarms, although most people were glad for the silence, and the loud explosions that were deafening to the ear suddenly dissapeared, although a number continued in the distance. Elizabeth was deciding her next move when her headset clicked and she heard, "_Doctor Weir! I see that you're having a bit of trouble and I'm offering my help. Care to accept it?_"

"Doctor…" she said warily, surprised at hearing his voice over the comm. "How'd you get a headset?"

"_I think that can wait until later, don't you agree?_"

Elizabeth knew that he was correct, right now they had more important matters at hand. "Come to the Control Room."

"_Already there._"

Wier looked up to see the Doctor come through the door with Martha behind him. She opened her mouth to ask how he had gotten there so fast, but was cut off by the sound of the Stargate activating. Everyone turned towards the stone circle and Elizabeth felt her heart pound as the final chevron finished locking; now they were going to see if Jack and Rodney's modifications worked.

* * *

Max ran down the hallway towards the Gate Room, trying to keep her balance whenever an explosion reverberated through the city, when she saw Jack coming towards her. She opened her mouth to ask why he wasn't with Weir and everyone else but suddenly there was an explosion just outside of the area where they were and Max was thrown off of her feet.

Hitting the wall as shards of glass flew inwards, she tried to cover her face and slid to the ground. Coughing from the haze and smoke of the aftermath, Max lowered her arms and felt a stinging on her face. Gently touching the area, she pulled her fingers back to see that they were red.

"You ok?" Jack shouted as he moved towards Max and helped her up.

"I think I'll live." Max replied as she brushed pieces of glass off of her. "Why are you here?"

"John's taking Jumpers to fight the ships." Jack said, taking Max's arm and steering her down the hallway.

"And Evan?"

"Don't know, but I think he's going as well."

At that revelation, Max knew she had to do something. Breaking away from Jack's grasp, she took off running down the hallway towards the lift. Pushing the panel she waited for it to open, but the door wouldn't budge. Frustrated, she hit the panel and then took off towards the stairs; she needed to stop him. Rounding a corner, she caught a glance of Jack catching up to her and knew he needed to get the Doctor so he could stop all of this. Pausing, she breathed heavily while calling out, "Go get the Doctor! I'll stop him."

"But-"

"GO!"

Jack heard the determination and pleading behind her voice and knew that she was right. Nodding his understanding, Jack turned away from Max and headed in the opposite direction.

Max continued up the last flight of stairs and sprinted down the hallway. The explosions had stopped for the most part and she realized that Rodney must have gotten the shield up, but she could hear smaller ones in the distance and guessed that some of them had gotten trapped.

Seeing Evan, everything seemed to suddenly shift into slow motion. Her heart pounded in her ears and it felt like it was taking forever to reach him. Then she did and time seemed to revert to normal. Spotting a door close to them she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards it. Max heared him protest but ignored it as she hit the panel on the wall, hoping that it was working. Fortunatly the door slid open and Max shoved him inside, closing the door quickly and then opening it up to expose the crystals and yanked them out; once this was over she'd get him out but for now he needed to stay there.

Leaning up against the wall, Max closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. It had been chaos since the Dalek's arrived and she knew that it would only get worse. Their only hope was for the Doctor to figure out everything and stop them before it came down to setting the self-destruct.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed off of the wall and ran towards the stairs, knowing that she had to arm herself.

* * *

"_Major, head for the Jumper Bay._"

"On my way." He said, immeaditly leaving the auxiliary armory and breaking into a jog towards the lift. It was slow going because every time he took a step, the reverberations of an explosion seemed to send him back two and then halfway down the hallway the lights suddenly went out. Stopping to let his eyes adjust to the dimmness, Lorne realized that he could hear again (aside from the ringing in his ears) and glanced out of the window as he ran past it; seeing that the shield had been raised over the city.

But at the same time he could hear explosions in the distance and realized that some of the ships must have gotten caught below the shield. Those were the ones they had to worry about, there was no way of knowing if they would keep up the runs or decide to take out one of the many towers spread through out Atlantis.

Reaching the lift, he willed for the door to open but it remained closed. Pressing the crystal yeilded the same response and, with a growl of frustration, Lorne dashed towards the stairs and scampered up them as fast as he could. Reaching the level, he started towards the Bay and was almost there when he spotted Piper running towards him.

Wondering what she was doing there, he opened his mouth to ask when she suddenly grabbed him and started to pull him away from the Bay. "Hey what're you doing?" he asked, trying to free his arm from her grasp but not being able to. "Let go!"

She ignored him so he tried again, "I said let go!"

Piper continued to ignore him and drag him away from the Jumpers, stopping in front of a door; she then opened the door and threw him inside. Lorne stummbled in and turned around to see the door close. Immedeatly he thought for the door to open but it didn't so he looked to either side of the door to see if there was a panel so he could open it manually. Finding it, he pressed the middle crystal but the door remained shut and even after pressing it repeatedly it was still closed. Pounding on the door with his fists, Lorne hollered, "Hey! Let me out!"

Pausing for a few seconds he waited to see if the door would open but it remained closed and Lorne muttered, "Bitch."

He needed to be out there, in a Jumper to protect Atlantis and the Expedition. It was what he did, he was the damn calvary when it came to situations like these. Being stuck in a closet made him feel helpless and he hated feeling that. Lorne was a Major in the U.S. Air Force for crying out loud, he shouldn't be feeling like this; however he was and it was scaring him. The last time he had been this shaken up was one of his first missions through the 'gate; encountering the Unas on what was supossed to be a simple mining operation.

Shaking his head, Lorne pulled himself together and continued pounding on the door and yelling, hoping that someone would hear him and free him. He had gotten through that mission fine and it would be the same with this one.

* * *

Rodney looked at the read out on the screen of his tablet and said, "We have a problem."

"Of course we do-" Martha started to say but was cut off.

"Then let me rephrase; we have a _new_ problem."

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked, wondered what else could go wrong. So far the Dalek's hadn't been able to get in, the modifications that had been made to the shield were holding and Elizabeth had begun to think that they might pull out of this.

"The modifications I made are drawing a huge amount of power from the ZedPM."

"You said that it would and shut down systems to power the shields." Elizabeth said as she walked over to where Rodney was and to look at his tablet.

"Yes, but its drawing more power than I thought."

"How long do we have if nothing's changed?"

"Half-hour, hour at most. We can't have both running at the same time and we can't afford to shut down either one." Rodney said, realizing that this was quickly becoming a 'damned it we do, damned if we don't' situation. But that was when he shined the most.

"Hold on." He said as an idea struck him. Rodney looked towards the Doctor and asked, "You're ship, does it have a lot of power?"

"'course it does. Wouldn't be able to hop around if it didn't." The Doctor replied sounding slightly insulted that anyone would think less of the TARDIS while wondering where McKay was going with his train of thought.

"Are there any hook ups?"

"Yes…" The Doctor trailed off as he realized what Rodney was about to suggest. "I wouldn't advise it though."

"Why not? Your ship can help with some of the power-"

"It won't work."

A flash of annoyance passed over Rodney's face and he snapped, "Why not?"

"Well…the Lanteans and Time Lords never got on that great. Had a little spat over who created the ZPM first, silly really when you think about it, and as a result both Councils made sure that neither technology would interface with the other." The Doctor said with a slighly apologetic look on his face, knowing that he might have just doomed them all.

"But then how could you access the message?" Martha asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It was made before that, they only recorded and installed the message later." The Doctor stated in a tone that said he thought it was plainly obvious.

Elizabeth glanced at Rodney and saw him doing the same thing, both of them wondering who the Doctor really was but were jarred out of their thoughts by the sound of the 'gate deactivating. Sighing, Elizabeth was glad that they had given up trying to get through the 'gate but the relief was short lived as it activated once more.


	23. For Reasons Unknown

John settled into the seat of the Jumper and was soon taking off, the other pilots he had ordered to the Bay lifting off behind him. Soon they were rising from the city and heading towards the ships that had managed to get caught under the shield. A display that showed where the others were in relation to the Jumpers appeared as John activated his headset, "Lorne you copy?"

"_Yes sir._"

"Good. I want you to take Hodgins and Taylor while-"

"_Actually sir, that's going to be a problem._"

John was confused, but then he saw on the display that there was one less Jumper in the air than there should be. "Lorne," he said slowly, already knowing the answer to the question he was about to ask. "where are you?"

"_Locked in a closet, sir._"

"Care to explain why?"

"_Halliwell, if that's her real name, came out of nowhere an' shoved me in here. I've been trying to get out since but she must have done something to the panel on the outside because I can't get out._"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, John couldn't help but let a slight smile creep onto his face. He wasn't going to let the Major forget this one anytime soon. "I'll see if I can get McKay to get you out."

"_Thank you sir. I'll get a Jumper up as soon as I can._"

"Negative, when you're able to go to the Control Room and help out Peyton; make sure everything's holding."

"_Yes sir._"

John ended the transmission then because they were quickly approaching the Dalek ships. Focusing on the task at hand, he hoped that they'd all make it through this.

* * *

Elizabeth knew she had to act; there was only so much time she could stall in making a decision. She knew that everyone was looking at her, waiting for her to act. Taking a breath, she looked at the 'gate (which was still active) and then at Rodney. Her mind made up she said, "Turn the shield off."

Rodney nodded and disengaged the shield just as the 'gate deactivated for the second time. There was a few seconds pause, then it started to activate again. "Transferring power to Auxiliary Control." Chuck said, hands flying over the keyboard. The control panel suddenly went dark and he picked up the laptop before leaving the station.

Knowing they only had a few seconds until they started coming through, everyone started to move. Elizabeth, Rodney, the Doctor, and Martha started to move towards the barricade by the door that had been constructed during the night, none of them wanting to be caught on the wrong side when the bullets started to fly, while the military personnel readied their weapons. "Captain Lander," Elizabeth said to the man John had put in charge while him and Lorne were in the air. "anything we can do?"

"Just make sure you survive, ma'am." Peyton said, nodding his head. "We'll hold them off until you can get Atlantis to do whatever it is that she does."

Elizabeth simply nodded even though she knew it might not happen, but she didn't want to say it out loud because there was always that slight chance that something miraculous would happen and that's what they needed right now; a miracle.

The Doctor and Martha fell behind Weir and McKay as they moved down the hallway, each with a grim look on their face but determination in their eyes. As they reached the stairs the group heard the distant, yet all too loud, sound of gunfire. Pausing, Martha looked back and felt like she was abandoning them when they needed it the most. She also knew that if she went back to help them, she'd most likely die and right now Martha wanted to put that off as long as possible.

Facing forwards, she hurried down the steps to catch up to the small group.

* * *

Max exited the armory, turned the corner and ran into Jack. "What are you doing here?" she asked, stepping back from him and realizing that he was alone. "Where's the Doctor and Martha?"

"Hell if I know, went down to the brig to get them but when I arrived they were gone. The guard that was there as well." He paused for a moment when he realized that Max was holding a P90 and wearing a tac vest. "You kit out rather nicely." He said slightly smiling.

Max rolled her eyes; they didn't have time for this. "Whatever. You didn't answer my first question; what're you doing here?"

"Wanted to get a little more fire power then just my Webley." Jack said, walking past Max and into the room. Pausing for a moment he looked over what was there before deciding on a P90 as well. Shoving spare clips in his jacket, he reemerged into the hallway smiling, "I think this'll do nicely."

"Good, now let's go." Max said, knowing that they had to figure out where everyone was, although she assumed that the Doctor and Martha were with Rodney and Elizabeth; where ever they were. The trick would be finding them while trying to come up with a way to end all of this without destroying the city.

So far both Jack and Max weren't coming up with anything.

As they moved through the hallways, they could hear the sound of shouting and gun-fire. It was coming from the general direction of the Control Room and the duo realized that somehow, the Dalek's had gotten through the shield. After a few minutes Jack realized that the gun-fire was becoming sparse.

Then the sounds stopped.

Max unconsciously tightened her grip and slowed down, not knowing what had happened. The urge to find out what happened stronger than her mind telling her to head away from the Control Room, she moved forwards. Heart pounding, Max steeled herself for the carnage that she knew was going to greet her.

Jack smelled them before seeing them.

A faint waft of ozone in the air mingled with the sent of burning flesh sent his stomach churning. The memories of the Game Station came rushing from the back of his mind and it was all he could to keep the panic at bay. Taking a deep breath, he forced one foot in front of the other and trailed Max; P90 up and his finger on the trigger.

Max stopped short as she took in the bodies lying scattered across the hallway. Then the smell hit her and she pressed a hand to her nose in an attempt to stop breathing it in; she realized that if there was any hope of stopping the things then they needed to keep a level head.

There would be time later to breakdown.

Breathing in deeply, she turned to find Jack behind her waiting for her to act or say something. "There's nothing here." She said in an oddly calm voice, stepping around the corpses and walking into the room.

Jack didn't say anything; he knew that nothing that came to mind would be the right thing to say, so he kept silent. Moving up the stairs, he wondered what they were doing here. It was obvious that everyone had left before they breached the shield; which should have been impossible…unless Weir had decided it was better to let the enemy in and catch it in some trap than try to hold them off and use up precious energy.

Finding a radio over by the wall, Max picked it up and activated it, trying to see if anyone was still alive, but there was no static. Trying again got the same result. Realizing that the comms must be out, she knew that it was going to make the Doctor and Martha hard to find. But she had an idea as to where they were, so it was only a matter of getting there without running into any Daleks.

Going up the steps towards the main control panel, she ran a hand over it but wasn't terribly surprised when it remained dark. "They transferred control to the secondary room."

"And?"

"And if I'm guessing right, then the Doctor would be with them."

Jack opened his mouth to suggest that they join him down there when he felt a faint breeze and then heard a noise that made him pause. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Max had stopped as well and then he heard the sound again; this time much clearer.

His eyes went wide when he realized that it was the TARDIS. After the realization Jack moved, all but running down the stairs and towards where the ship was with Max right behind him.

* * *

The TARDIS had been waiting.

It had waited patiently and didn't care that everyone wanted to leave before it was time, it had stood still.

Now there was work to be done.

The TARDIS had tapped into the city of the Old Ones when they first arrived. It wasn't difficult to do; it had done so the last time the Doctor had been here and the city recognized the ship and willingly let it into the systems. It had been lonely and enjoyed sharing information with the TARDIS.

It had told the city the reason for bringing everyone here, and what it had discovered since arriving, and the city agreed with the TARDIS; they needed to work together if they wanted to save everyone.

There were a number of things it had to do, but the first on the list was to free the Major. The TARDIS unlocked the door and opened it for the Major so he could go help the others. A gentle humming filled the Control Room as the ship transferred power to the shielding, increasing the time it could hold by a few hours; that's all the time the TARDIS needed the Doctor to accomplish everything.

Then the ship powered up its systems, a wheezing noise gradually filling the air.

It was time.

* * *

Elizabeth watched as another Jumper signal cut out and felt the sinking feeling in her stomach increase. Now there were only two left and she had no idea if John was one of them; communications had cut out while they were making their way down to the secondary control room and Rodney had been trying to restore it while the Doctor and Martha were working on something…she had trouble following the Doctor after he started talking about 'fixing this, working on that, and don't you people ever dust behind here? It's filthy.'

The Doctor looked up from the systems he was fiddling with and knitted his eyebrows together. "You feel that?" he asked, feeling the tug of the TARDIS overriding almost every thought.

"What's going on?" Elizabeth asked, wondering what else could go wrong.

Martha had paused as well, looking towards the door. "Yeah…it's the TARDIS."

"I thought that you said it wasn't working."

"I did." The Doctor replied, standing and pulling out his sonic screwdriver. Fiddling with the controls, it buzzed for a while then stopped. Looking out at the readout, the Doctor furrowed his eyebrows even more. "These make no sense, it shouldn't be working."

Elizabeth cast a brief glance at Rodney, who just shrugged his shoulders, then turned to ask the Doctor to explain what was going on about but the space where he had been standing and she looked towards the door in time to see the Doctor round the corner.

"Where is he going?" Rodney asked as he looked at the display screen, trying to make sense of the readings that had just appeared.

"I have no idea, but we have more important things to worry about." Elizabeth said, turning back to the screen and seeing that the two remaining Jumpers were heading back towards the city.

Rodney cast a glance towards the computer screen and felt his eyes go wide as he read the power readings. "Where the hell did that come from?" he asked, fingers moving over the keys.

"What?" Elizabeth asking, wondering what else could do wrong.

"There was just a spike in the power output." Rodney said as he brought up a finger to point out the increase to Elizabeth. "It came out of the blue."

"Is that good?" she asked, wondering if Atlantis had somehow shifted enough energy to the shield so that the odds would increase slightly in their favor.

"Looks like; we got a few more hours."

"Good." Elizabeth replied as she saw that the Jumpers had entered the entrance at the top of the tower and were making their way down to the Bay. "What about comms, can you get them back on-line?"

Rodney tapped a few keys and did a few quick calculations in head before responding with a, "It'll take a while and I need to divert some power away from the shields-"

"Then do it." Elizabeth said, breaking in. They needed to be able to find out what was going on in the rest of the city.

* * *

Jack ran down the hallway, Max not far behind him, towards where the TARDIS was. It was weird that the ship was suddenly working when before it had hardly started up. He knew that the Doctor and Martha would be coming to the ship as well, having felt the pull of the TARDIS on his mind.

Rounding a corner, he hardly slowed down which was why Jack didn't see the figure in front of him until it was too late. Hitting the person, he went flying; hitting the ground as did the other person.

Looking up, Jack saw that he had ran into the Doctor and a smile played over his face as he picked himself up, as did the Doctor, while saying, "Fancy running into you."

The Doctor would have found the situation funny if imminent death hadn't been hanging over their heads, but he couldn't resist shaking his head over the bad pun. However there would be time to catch up later because right now they needed to get back to the TARDIS.

* * *

Max was right behind Jack when out of nowhere she felt someone grab her arm and yank her out of the hallway. Yelping in surprise, a hand clapped over her mouth so that it was muffled. Pulling, she tried to turn around and face her captor and figure out what the hell was going on; but the arms that held her were strong and she wasn't able to break free or see their face.

"I'll let go if you promise not to yell," Lorne said into Max's ear. "although I don't think anyone would be able to hear you."

Her eyes went wide when she realized who the voice belonged to and she stopped trying to struggle so much, although she still tried to break free.

"I need to get answers and the only way I'll be able to is to let you go...if I do can you promise me you won't try to shove me in a closet?"

Max considered her options, which were limited, and decided that her best option was to follow along with whatever it was that Evan was doing. Nodding her head she stopped trying to free herself and waited for him to remove his hold.

Lorne let go and took a step back, which was good because a few seconds after he did Piper turned around and tried to take a swing at him.

Max tried to hit Evan and missed, which was a shame because she really wanted to hit him right now, so she had to settle for scowling at him. "What? Couldn't this wait 'cause if you hadn't noticed there's a battle going on here." Max snapped, moving towards the door.

"You don't think I know that?" Evan snapped, grabbing her arm to stop her from leaving. "_You're_ the one who stopped me from helping get rid of some of them. And what I want to know is why the hell?"

Max looked at him, knowing that the point was going to come up sooner or later but had hoped that it would've been later. "I don't have time for this." She said, snapping her arm out of his grasp and exiting out of the room. Max then broke into a run, hoping that the TARDIS was still there.

Evan exited the room as well and caught a glimpse of Piper rounding the corner. Starting after her, he spotted something on the ground. Pausing, he picked it up and saw that it looked like some kind of high-tech tool. Eyebrows furrowing, Lorne wondered who it belonged to.

Tucking it into his jacket pocket, Lorne continued forwards trailing Piper.

As she got closer the noise got louder and Max sped up, wanting to get to the ship before it was too late. She entered the doorway in time to see the TARDIS disappear.

* * *

The Doctor ran into the TARDIS, Jack and Martha not far behind, and over to the controls; trying to figure out what was going on. As he moved from one console to another, there was a jolt and he grabbed onto the edge so as not to go flying. Then the center column started to slow down and the Doctor looked at the readouts in confusion.

"What's going on?" Martha asked, seeing the Doctor's reaction and not feeling reassured.

"Where's Max?" Jack asked, just realizing that she wasn't there.

"Where are we?" The Doctor asked softly, ignoring the others questions. Knowing that the best way to figure everything out was to go outside, the Doctor strode towards the doors and stepped out of the TARDIS.

Looking around, the Doctor saw that they were in a narrow hallway that seemed to stretch on forever. Taking a few steps forwards, he wondered what they were doing here.

Jack exited the ship a few seconds after the Doctor and took in his surroundings. His eyes went wide when he realized where they were. "Why..."

The Doctor heard Jack and turned around to see his expression, "What?"

"We're back where back on the planet."

"What planet?" The Doctor asked, although he had an inkling as to what Jack was talking about.

"The planet where the Dalek's came from."


	24. Time Is Running Out

"Lose this?"

Max turned around to see that Evan was in the doorway holding something. Curious, and seeing that it looked familiar, she stepped towards him and saw that it was the Doctor's sonic. "Where'd you get it?" she asked, slowly holding out a hand for it.

"Found it on the floor. What is it?" Lorne asked, giving it to her.

"It's a sonic screwdriver."

He pulled a face while asking, "Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks 'ooo, this could be a little more sonic!'?"

Max smiled faintly, "Exactly."

Lorne looked past Piper and noticed for the first time since arriving that the room was empty. "Where'd your...box go?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Max replied, moving out of the room and down the hallway. She was still trying to figure out why the Doctor had left without her; he had sworn that he wouldn't do it again, yet here she found herself stranded once more.

But right now there were bigger things to worry about; like how they were going to get rid of the Dalek's sitting at their front step. A glance through a window as she continued down the hallway told her that the shield was still holding and the ships were still continuing their barrage on it; how much longer it would last she had no idea but knew that when it failed the entire city would be destroyed.

Lorne followed Piper and tried to figure out the puzzle that she was. He'd never seen her before she showed up on Atlantis but at the same time he felt like he knew her; there was something in the back of his mind that kept tugging at him but he had no idea what it was. It had first shown up when they were trapped, then again during the night the three of them spent in the cave, and finally when they realized that Jack and the others weren't who they said they were.

He had tried to figure it out, put it down to adrenaline or some other cause but those didn't make sense. Evan had tried to get an answer to the question but she had just brushed him off. However, he was determined to figure it out before they left Atlantis for good.

Max rounded a corner, trying to figure out her way down to the auxiliary control room, when she stopped short and quickly retreated back; pushing Lorne back as she moved.

"What the-" he started to ask but she shushed him and drew him into a small alcove. There was just enough room for the both of them and no sooner than they had entered it Evan could hear the faint sound of gears turning. Realizing that it was a Dalek, his eyes went wide and he could feel his heart pounding. Swallowing the fear that was gathering in his throat, Evan hoped that the thing wouldn't see them.

* * *

"Are you sure?" the Doctor asked, although he knew Jack wouldn't say it unless it were true.

"I am." Jack said, he'd remember the walls just like he'd remember the Game Station and the _Valiant_. However that didn't distract him from the fact that the TARDIS had brought them here. Moving past the Doctor he walked down the hallway, footsteps echoing around him. Walking, Jack wondered _why_ the TARDIS had brought them here, and where Max was; last he had checked she had been behind him so she should have reached the ship no far behind the rest of them.

Something caught Jack's eye and he paused; looking at it and recognized what it was. It was one of the rooms him, Lorne, and Max had found while down here. Hesitating, he looked inside, seeing that the lights were on and that it looked like it had when they were first here. However, there was one thing that was different; there was no chamber in the room.

The Doctor peered over Jack's shoulder and looked into the room. He then gently pushed past Jack and walked inside. The room was mostly filled with consoles all facing away from the door, facing some kind of platform. Putting on his glasses, he moved towards one of them and wrinkled his nose at the layer of dust of everything; it looked like no one had been here for a very long time.

Brushing away the grime and dirt the Doctor studied the panel for a few minutes before pressing a sequence of buttons. The rest of the panel as well as the rest of the consoles lit up.

Jack slowly entered behind the Doctor, Martha behind him, and watched as the Doctor got to work at one of the panels. "What are you looking for?" he asked.

"The reason all of this started." The Doctor replied, not taking his eyes away from the screen.

* * *

Max's heart felt like it was threatening to escape from her chest. Gripping the sonic in her hand she tried to make herself as small as possible.

The whine of gears grew louder until she knew that the Dalek was right on top of them...and then the sound stopped. Not knowing what to think, Max wanted to catch a look and see what was happening but knew that if she did then she might very well die; so she stayed put. Closing her eyes, she could feel her muscles tense up; waiting for something to happen.

The seconds seemed to stretch forever, then the sound started up again and trailed off.

Max let out the breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding in a rush and relaxed, they had dodged _that_ bullet. Opening her eyes, Max saw that she had moved closer to Evan and he had wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. Feeling her face heat up, she quickly moved into the hallway and tried to put as much distance between her and Lorne as possible.

It had been instinctual. They had been hiding from the enemy and he had been just trying to make them as small as a target as possible. There had been nothing behind the action, but apparently Max had read more into it. Evan went after her, they shouldn't split up now; not with those things roaming around.

"Exterminate!"

Lorne's blood ran cold at the word and he froze, slowing turning around to face the Dalek.

Staring, he wondered if this was it.

There was a flash of light and then Evan was staring at the ceiling. Blinking rapidly, he tried to figure out what had just happened; he was still alive. Then he realized that Piper was next to him and he turned his head to see if she was alright. He saw that she was unconscious but he didn't have time to see if she had any kind of injuries because he heard the Dalek speak again.

Scrambling to his feet, Lorne saw that the Dalek was slowly advancing and there wasn't enough time to grab Piper and try to escape. Automatically his fingers gripped his 9mm and aimed it at the machine. Pulling the trigger repeatedly, he tried to hit the damn thing but the bullets just bounced off of it. He knew how many bullets there were in the clip, once he ran out the Dalek would kill them both.

All of a sudden there was a blue flash and Lorne felt something hot knick his arm. Flinching he heard a metallic 'ping' and realized that a bullet must have bounced back and hit him. Taking a breath, Lorne moved to pull the trigger again but stopped as he saw blue sparks in front of him.

Pausing, he slowly lowered the gun and looked in front of him; there was nothing between him and the Dalek. Furrowing his eyebrows, Evan cautiously stretched his hand forwards and snatched it back when his fingers collided with something; there were blue sparks and a slight humming sound. Then the light bulb went on in his mind and Lorne realized that, somehow, a shield had activated between them and the Dalek.

As grateful as he was for the barrier, he had no idea how long it would last. Turning around he made his way back to Piper, who was still out, picked her up and started to put as much distance between them and the Dalek before the shield disappeared.

* * *

"That wasn't there before." Elizabeth heard Rodney say. Not liking the surprise in his voice, she moved to where he was working.

"What isn't?"

"There's a shield up inside the city."

"What do you mean?"

"Right here." Rodney said, pointing to an area by the Southwest Pier. "It came on all of a sudden. No warning at all."

"Why?" Elizabeth asked, trying to figure out who was in that area while looking at the two life signs; the Dalek's didn't show up so it made tracking them even harder.

"No idea."

"Can you turn it off?"

"I've already tried and it won't. Seems that Atlantis is starting to help us."

"How so?"

"It's started to seal off areas that we don't have any one in; like the city is trying to contain them in one area."

Elizabeth looked at the screen and tried to figure out what the city was up to. Until now it hadn't done anything to help Sheppard and the others fight the Dalek's, it had only acted like a normal (well as normal as Atlantis was) city until a few minutes ago; until the power surge.

Rodney hadn't been able to figure out where it had come from but a few seconds later he had gotten the comms back up so she had been focused on raising Sheppard. He had managed to make it back with one other pilot but there were still ships inside the shield; there had just been too many. Now they needed to focus on containing the ones inside of the city and preventing the other ships from getting through.

Tapping her headset, she said, "John?"

"_Yes?_"

"Be careful, the city's started to seal off sections without warning."

"_Understood._"

Elizabeth continued to look at the screen, wondering what their next move should be or if they should wait to see what the city did next.

* * *

"- are you?"

Max opened her eyes and was greeted with a slight stab of pain in the back of her head as well as a look from Evan that she knew too well. "Sorry?" she asked as she rubbed the back of her head, hoping to massage the pain away.

"Back there...do you have some kind of death wish?" Lorne asked, trying to figure out why she was so intent on throwing herself in front of a bullet (or Dalek) for him.

Max had been so busy trying to get away from Lorne that she hadn't been paying attention to see if there had been more than one Dalek out there, so when she saw one in the middle of the hallway it stopped her dead in her tracks. Hearing footsteps behind her, she realized that Lorne had followed her but before she could tell him to get out of the hallway the Dalek spoke and she knew that there was little time for her to act.

All that mattered to her was keeping Evan safe.

"It's complicated."

"You keep saying that yet you don't explain." Lorne sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well at least you'll have time to come up with something."

"Sorry?"

"We're locked in, can't get back out."

Max looked around and for the first time saw that they were in a kind of storage room, filled with containers and shelves. Standing, she made her way towards the windows and saw that a door opened out onto a small balcony; glancing outside told her that they were high above the pier. Looking up she could see the faint glow of the shield as it reflected the lights of the city as well as the bursts of fire from the ships.

Stepping back inside she was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "How do you know?"

"Came in here for a few minutes to wait out those things and when I tried to open the door it wouldn't budge; even tried the screwdriver but the thing's busted."

"That's because it doesn't know you." Max said, a faint smile appearing. Walking over to Evan, she took the sonic out of his hands and moved towards the door. "But don't worry; it hardly works for anyone other than the Doctor." As she spoke, Max raised the screwdriver to the panel and mentally crossed her fingers, hoping that it would work for her; it buzzed to life and the tip glowed blue for a few seconds before cutting out.

Smiling Max pressed the panel but nothing happened. The smile slowly fading, she tried again but still nothing happened.

"Told you."

Shooting him an exasperated look, Max kept on trying but the result was the same and eventually she accepted that they weren't going anywhere for the time being.

* * *

Jack watched the Doctor as he stared at the screen with a look of deep concentration and inwardly sighed; wondering, not for the first time, why the TARDIS had brought them here. He could understand the Doctor, the Time Lord had been here before and could understand 'Lantian technology, but as for himself and Martha he was simply at a loss.

He wondered what was happening on Atlantis and if Max was all right. The look of determination on her face worried him, that she was going to do something foolish in order to protect the time-line. Jack got the feeling that something wasn't right with the way things were going, the fact that the Dalek's were involved aside. Now that he had time to slow down and think, Jack realized that he had never once heard or read about the Expedition coming up against them and he was slightly confident that wasn't a good sign; he of all people knew what changing the timeline could do to a person's history.

"Aha!"

The exclamation from the Doctor drew Jack out of his thoughts and he looked to where the Time Lord was standing, with the rare look of glee on his face. "What'd you find?" Jack asked as he stood and made his way towards the man.

"Something brilliant." The Doctor said as he turned back and pointed to a second screen on the right. "See? That's us and," he continued while pointing to another on the left. "that's Atlantis." Narrowing his eyes a little as he focused on the Atlantis readout, he wondered what it all meant. Hazarding a guess the Doctor figured that the panel was some type of safeguard; he knew that the Lantians wouldn't have built this place without some kind of back up plan if the Dalek's had gotten out of hand.

But what it exactly did he had no clue, there weren't a whole lot of symbols on the controls and what was there he couldn't read because his Lantian as more than a little rusty; and it seemed that the TARDIS wasn't in the mood to translate everything for him.

"How are the power levels?" Jack asked as he took a step towards the controls.

"Steady for now, but I have no idea how long they'll stay that way." The Doctor knew that they also had a limited amount of power; the ZedPM's hadn't been activated in millennia, who knew how much longer they'd keep everything going.

"Anything I can do to help?"

"If there is I'll let you know." The Doctor absently replied as he ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up even more. Wracking his brain, he knew that what was in front of him was somehow connected to the Dalek's and just might be the key to ending this before the city was destroyed.

It would take time to figure everything out but that was one thing they didn't have.

* * *

Lorne hadn't been aware that he'd started to drift off until the acidic sent made him sit up and open his eyes. Looking to where the smell was coming from he saw that the door to balcony was open. Standing, Evan couldn't help but notice how the Ancients seemed to like looking out at the ocean as there were balconies and large windows that gave a view of the outside almost everywhere. It was almost like they were trying to create private moments between themselves and the elements.

Stepping out, he silently moved towards the railing while looking up and seeing the shield shimmer as the bombardment continued against it. His watch had broken earlier so it was impossible to tell how long the whole battle had been going on but if Lorne had to hazard a guess he'd say all day at most, hours at least.

Max glanced over when she heard movement and saw Evan join her at the railing. Not saying anything she turned away from him and took a drag from her cigarette. She had stepped out for some fresh air and had come across the pack, and lighter underneath it, purely by accident; someone else must have left it there by design or for fear of getting caught. Whatever the case, Max didn't care because she found herself picking it up and lighting one.

"Smoke often?" Evan said casually, to break the silence more than anything.

"Only when I'm stressed." Max replied as casually, like they were discussing the weather. "Almost chain smoked my way through Grad school."

Evan chuckled as did Max and both could feel the tension that had been building between them break. More relaxed he nodded to the pack which was in her hand, "Can I steal one?"

"I didn't take you as the type." Max replied as she tossed the box to him and lighter to him.

"Like you said, only when I'm stressed." Evan replied as he lit it. "Although if I get married it might become a daily habit."

"Oh really?" Max said, raising an eyebrow at the comment. Crushing what remained of the cigarette under the heel of her shoe she playfully asked, "Would your wife drive you to it; all that nagging?"

"Nah. I'm sure it'll be worry over staying alive to get back to her and the kids. I want a big family like my parents had; complete chaos but loving every moment of it."

"Really? Because you told me that you wanted a small-" Max blurted out before she realized what she was saying. Cutting off as soon as she did, Max could tell from Evan's confused expression that the damage had already been done. Mentally kicking herself for letting her guard down, Max knew she had to change the subject. Not sure what else to do she fled inside to try opening the door again.

"Hey, hold it." Evan called out as Piper all but ran inside after that confusing remark. Starting after her, he stopped after realizing that he still had the cigarette in his hands. Sighing with frustration, he threw it to the ground (Weir would have a fit if she found that semi-contraband was floating about) then went after Piper. Striding towards her, he asked, "What was that all about?"

Max tried to keep her breath even as she ignored his questions and tried to steady her shaking hands as they handled the wires in the control panel. But no amount of her fiddling was solving the problem of unlocking the doors. Frustrated Max slammed a hand against the wall, "Damn it to hell!"

Suddenly the doors slid open with a fain 'hiss' and both Max and Evan stared at the doorway for several seconds trying to comprehend what had just happened. Then Max saw the opportunity to get away from Lorne and try to find something that would give them an edge against the Dalek's.

Not saying anything Max exited the room and started walking, picking a direction at random and hoping that she'd run into someone other than Evan.

"Hey!" Lorne called out when Piper took off like a bat out of hell. "Wait up." Lorne then cast a look over his shoulder to make sure that there weren't any Dalek's in the area and after seeing that they were alone, took after her. She didn't think that he'd let her go without an explanation to the remark she just made, did she?

Catching up to her by a lift, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm trying to find something that might help us." Max said as she struggled to loosen his grip on her. "_And to get away from you._" She added in her head.

"Let go of me."

"No. Not until you explain what you said back there." Lorne firmly replied, pulling her closer to him as he talked. "Hell not until you explain how you've acted around me the entire time you've been here."

Max sighed, "We don't have time for this or have you forgotten that the city is being attacked?"

"Really? 'cause I thought that the shield was up for kicks."

Max just made a face as she still tried to loosen Lorne's grip on her. As they struggled, she must have bumped up against the panel controlling the lift doors because suddenly they opened. Both of them pausing, they stared at the lift; surprised that it had activated so suddenly.

"I thought that the lifts weren't working." Max said slowly as she glanced at Lorne.

"McKay's team must have got them working again." Evan said, the surprise in his voice clearly evident. "Chalk one up for the squint squad."

They continued to stare at the empty lift, not sure what to do. "So...do we go in?" Max asked hesitantly, breaking the silence that had followed Evan's comment. "I mean, it's better than taking the stairs right?"

"Defiantly. We should go to the auxiliary control room and see what Eliz-Doctor Weir wants us to do." Evan replied as he stepped into the lift.

Max hesitated for a second and then joined him. The doors closed and then a bright light filled her eyes, fading away as soon as it had appeared; the doors opening as well. Stepping out, she slowly made her way down the hallway while looking for the hatchway.

Something didn't feel right, but what it was exactly she wasn't sure.

Lorne drew his sidearm and moved in front of Piper; she was unarmed and he didn't want her to get hurt again. Slowly moving down the hallway Evan got the feeling that they were the only two down here...it was too quite and besides, if this was the auxiliary room he was pretty sure they'd hear McKay going on about how there wasn't enough time to pull the miracle Weir wanted him to do or something like that.

Halfway down the hall he spotted a door and Lorne signaled a stop with his hand. He stood still for a few moments, trying to figure out if there was anyone in there but Lorne couldn't tell; he had to go in to be sure. Moving cautiously, he pressed the panel and then as it slid open was ready to pull the trigger.

But the room was as empty as the rest of the place, save the equipment. The lights flickered on as soon as the hardware sensed the ATA gene and blinking against the stark contrast of the darkened hallway. Once his eyes adjusted, however, Lorne saw that the room was like any other in Atlantis; Ancient hardware with dust piled on top of it as the result of millennia of neglect, shards of glass littering the floor with the wind blowing into the room from a broken window. Lowering his gun, Evan still walked in with his guard up; you never knew what you were getting into when the Ancients were involved.

Max was just behind Evan and as they walked deeper into the room wondered aloud, "How the hell did we get here? I thought you took us to the auxiliary room."

"So did I." Evan replied as he circled the room, trying to figure out what purpose it had originally served.

Max went around the opposite way, hoping to get any kind of clue as to where they were, but came up empty. For all she knew the room could have been just another spare incase something went wrong while fighting the Wraith. But that guess seemed wrong, the panels and area in general seemed older; like it had been one of the first rooms built in the city.

Stopping by one control cluster, she pondered that thought when suddenly something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Pausing, Max waited until she saw it again to move towards the screen. Reaching it, she wondered why it was active while the rest seemed to be off. Eyebrows knitting together Max reached out to brush some of the dust off of the panel in order to get a better look but hesitated, knowing that she shouldn't touch because you never knew what might happen. "Ev-Major." She called out, looking towards his general direction. "You might want to check this out."

"What?" Lorne asked as he walked over to Piper and stood beside her.

"It just started blinking."

"Hmm." Evan wondered if they should get McKay up here to deal with it. But they had no idea _where_ Rodney was and even if they did he was busy trying to keep the city from being destroyed. Deciding to take a chance, Lorne nodded to Piper that she could touch it and helped get rid of the grit and grime.

Max touched the panel and pulled her hand back sharply while hissing in pain.

"What happened?" Evan asked, pausing quickly when he saw Piper react to something.

Max rubbed the area of her finger that had been stung and shook her head, "Just got stung...nothing epic."

"You sure?" It was always better to be safe than sorry when the Ancients were involved.

"Yeah." She held the finger up to prove her point. "See? No worry."

"If you say so..." They worked in silence; the only sound was the humming of the controls coming to life when they sensed the ATA gene. Soon most of the room was running but Lorne still had no idea what it was for. Staring at the writing he mused out loud, "What's it say?"

"That the room was built as a last line of de..." Max trailed off when she realized that suddenly she could understand it.

Evan raised an eyebrow, "I thought you said that you couldn't read Ancient."

"I did...and now I can..." Max said as she walked towards another panel and started pressing controls. Pausing only long enough to tie her hair back into a loose ponytail, she continued on working almost frantically.

Lorne stared at her, watching her work, not quite sure what to think. Obviously her sudden knowledge of Ancient technology and the prick on her finger was no coincidence; what to what extent?

* * *

"...that's not good."

Elizabeth looked towards Rodney to see a look of surprise and worry on his face as he started at his tablet. "What?" she asked slowly, almost dreading the answer to the question. Things had been stable until now and whatever had happened, Elizabeth knew that it didn't bode well for them and the city.

"There was a sudden power drain; cut the shield strength almost to nothing." He said as he worked frantically trying to shut off all non-essential systems and re-routing power to the shield in order to keep them from collapsing.

"What about time?"

Rodney was silent for a few seconds, concentrating on the screen in front of him before he said, "Minutes."

"Rodney." Weir said in a calm voice, realizing that they had finally reached the point of no return. They needed to set the self-destruct and get everyone through the 'gate before it activated. He paused for a second and after seeing the look on her face knew what she wasn't saying. Nodding, he continued to work; now trying to by them as much time as he could possibly squeeze out.

Elizabeth activated her headset to make the announcement but before she could speak the room suddenly went dark. "Rodney we need-"

"It wasn't me." He replied, the glow from his tablet the only source of illumination against the darkness.

"Then what was it?"

"I have no idea." McKay tapped in a few commands and knitted his eyebrows together. "What the-it kicked me out! The _database_ kicked me out!"

Weir then heard a loud 'thunk' and looked towards where the doors were. Although she couldn't see anything, she knew that it had just closed.

It seemed that Atlantis had finally decided to do something and they were stuck until it was over.


	25. When the Levee Breaks

"Well that's not good."

Jack looked up at the comment and saw the Doctor bolt towards another panel. Glancing at his own he saw that there was suddenly a massive power build up in Atlantis. "What's going on?" he muttered to himself. Almost instantly the answer came to him; the Ancients had built some kind of super-weapon in case the Dalek's couldn't be stopped by normal means and that it was powering up.

And he knew that in order for the weapon to work both sides needed to be synced together.

"_Where the hell did that come from?_" Jack wondered as he walked over to a different panel and started to press a sequence of controls. The room suddenly filled with gentle humming, becoming louder and louder as the minutes passed.

The Doctor paused what he was doing and turned around to see Jack frantically working and glancing at the readouts, raising an eyebrow. "Building up power by proton and neutron flux. But how are you stabilizing-" He cut off as the room started to shake and bits of rock fell down on them. It ended as soon as it had began but at the same time it made the Doctor worry just a little bit more.

Moving to the station he had first gone to, the Doctor looked at the display and didn't like what he was seeing. "The build up is too much for the system to handle!" he called out over the second wave of rumbling. "If you keep on going on then you'll bring this whole place down!"

"No it won't, not yet!" Jack replied, still working frantically at the panel.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing?" Evan yelled as he held onto the panel as he tried to stay upright. The rumbling subsided and he was left wondering what Piper was doing to the systems.

"Don't worry," Max replied, hardly looking up from what she was doing. "almost there." Glancing at another screen, she made a few more adjustments and then hit a final series of controls.

All of a sudden an opening appeared in the ceiling and Evan faintly saw that it reached all the way through the city. However, before he could ask what was happening a bright light filled the room; Lorne automatically turned his head away from the light and covered his eyes with his arm.

* * *

The rumbling started up again and this time it was worse. Pieces of rock began to fall and hit the equipment. The Doctor haltingly made his way towards Jack while shouting over the ruckus, "Jack we need to go, it's too unstable-"

"No, not yet!" Jack yelled, shaking his head. "It's not time yet!"

"Time for what?"

"This!" Jack shouted as he turned away from the Doctor and slammed his hand on the last control. Almost instantly the shaking stopped and the three of them watched as the power readings began to even out.

* * *

Evan stumbled back towards the wall and tried to see what was going on but the light was just too damn bright that all he could see was faint shadows of everything. Slowly moving along the wall, he wondered if Piper was ok. Pausing as his hand hit something and after feeling it realized that it was a latch.

Not knowing where it led but wanting to get away from the light he pushed and was greeted with the smell of fresh air. Realizing that it must lead to another balcony Evan made his way out and lowered his arm.

Blinking from the sudden change in lighting, it took a few minutes until all of the spots were gone. Looking up, Lorne saw that the shield was fluxuating wildly and that the ships had stopped their barrage…for now.

All of a sudden the city shuddered under his feet and Evan grabbed the railing in order to keep his balance. The decking continued to shake as he twisted around to get a better look at the spires of Atlantis and the Major could see the tall points of the city sway.

Suddenly there was a final blue spark as the shielding collapsed and for a few seconds everything was quite; it was so silent that Lorne could almost hear the faint lapping of the waves as they broke against the city.

Still staring up, he wondered if this was finally it; the ships would destroy the city and everyone on it.

However, before they could start the barrage again, there was a loud whirring sound and out of nowhere a beam of light appeared. It shot straight up into the sky and held there for a moment, then started to expand and cast a golden glow over the entire city.

Lorne was trying to process everything that was going on; it was all happening all so fast. The Dalek ships apparently didn't know what to do, they didn't try to flee or fight back, they just stayed where they were and as the light spread were engulfed by it.

* * *

Rodney looked at the readings from his tablet and couldn't help but widen his eyes at it; what was happening was simply impossible. While he wasn't able to access the main core of the city he could still view what was going on and he tried to comprehend the readings he was seeing.

There seemed to be no end to the building power and he wondered what might happen when the city wasn't able to hold it. A glance towards Elizabeth told him that even though she was trying project calm at the same time there was an undercurrent of nervous energy. Rodney knew how she felt, it was frustrating to the point of insanity that they weren't able to do anything except sit here and wait to find out if they lived or died.

Even though he wouldn't admit it, Rodney would rather go down fighting instead of being here like sitting ducks. At least that way you had a chance of people remembering your name and how you fought instead of just your accomplishments. Sure it was nice for people to remember how smart and brilliant you were but at the same time heroes who died while valiantly fighting were remembered longer than those who came up with a variation on the string theory.

A change in the screen drew Rodney out of his thoughts and he looked at it just as he heard Elizabeth say, "Rodney, look."

"I know...it's impossible." He marveled.

"No Rodney, _look_." Elizabeth said again. He tore his eyes from the screen and followed her line of sight towards a window that until five seconds ago hadn't been there.

Standing, he furrowed his eyes together in puzzlement and stared out. The dusk was suddenly filled with a bright golden light that seemed to be reaching out towards the sky. It began to expand and as it did, Rodney noticed that it followed the pattern of the shield; encompassing almost the entirety of the city.

Then a loud rumbling filled their ears and Rodney felt the floor beneath him begin to tremble. It soon passed but at the same time it gave him an uneasy feeling. It happened again and lasted a bit longer than the first time.

Wanting to know what was happening, he tore his eyes away from the window and looked at his tablet; however what Rodney was seeing wasn't good.

"Oh Hell."

* * *

They were all gone. Destroyed.

The city of the Old Ones was safe again.

However there was no simple way to turn off the fail-safe. The power requirement was too great; it needed more and more just to keep running. It was drawing all it could from the station and the city but it needed more.

They knew that and at the same time knew what they needed to do in order to stop it.

* * *

It was incredible, the entire Dalek fleet gone in a matter of seconds; the galaxy saved from evil once again.

But at the same time Evan noticed that the beam hadn't disappeared, it was still going. That worried him because in all of the science fiction novels he had read as a boy the life saving weapon would deactivate when the danger had passed. But this wasn't the case here; it seemed as strong as ever and showed no signs of ending.

And to add to his worries the tremors were still happening and it felt like they were increasing in power.

Making his way back inside Evan wondered if Piper somehow knew of a way to end all of this. Squinting against the brightness, he shielded his eyes with his hand and called out, "Piper?"

Her voice didn't answer him so he tried again. Still no answer and his worry grew. Trying one more time he was again greeted with silence.

Cautiously making his way forwards, Lorne stumbled when an unexpectedly large tremor ripped its way through the floor and he felt his boot brush up against something. Getting down on his knees, Evan lowered his hands and felt the area where he had felt something.

Strange enough the light seemed to dim a little and Evan saw that the something he had brushed up against was Piper. She was down on the floor, unconscious but breathing. Gently shaking her he yelled, "Piper!"

She didn't respond and Evan knew that they had to get out of this place. Picking her up, he took a step forwards when all of a sudden the ceiling started to fall. Trying to doge falling debris while carrying dead weight was hard enough, but doing so in near blinding light was near impossible.

His foot must have caught on a piece of rock because Evan felt his footing give way and tumbled to the floor. Not wanting to hurt Piper anymore than she was, he rolled while falling so that he ended up closest to the ground.

Blinking, Evan's eyes focused in time to see a large piece of ceiling falling towards him.

* * *

The Doctor stared on as Jack's hands flew across the panels. It was like he actually knew what to do which he found odd since he had been the only one to be able to decipher what the room was for. Looking at the screens told him that the power levels weren't abating and that worried him; they should be steadying off or at least decreasing but they were still climbing.

"Jack..." he called out, the concern growing every second that passed. "what's going on?"

Instead of Jack replying he heard Martha yell, "Jack!" The Doctor looked up in time to see Martha reach Jack who was on the floor, unconscious.

Things seemed to go from bad to worse after that because the room started to shake, worse than it had before, and more pieces of stone began to fall upon them. Trying to shield Jack from the worst of it, the Doctor grabbed onto Jack's greatcoat and pulled him up by the lapels.

"It feels like the whole place is coming down." Martha yelled as she took hold of Jack so the Doctor didn't have to bear all of the weight.

"I think that's the point." The Doctor grunted as he shifted his hold on Jack. "We need to get out of here."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Martha said as she positioned herself on the opposite side of Jack. As they slowly made their way back towards the TARDIS she asked, "What happened to Jack?"

"I have no idea. The second I glance away to look at the power readings he keels over."

"Did it tell you anything?"

The Doctor spared a glance towards Martha and she saw that his eyes were filled with concern. Then the look disappeared and was replaced by his normal determination. He didn't say anything but the look had said everything that he hadn't.

Things were looking grim.

But Martha was determined to get out of this alive and she knew that the Doctor was as well. If her travels with him had taught her one thing, it was that dying was never an option so long as you were determined to leave.

The going was slow and treacherous, but they made it back to the TARDIS in one piece. Martha took Jack's full weight as the Doctor opened the door and she all but dragged the Captain's limp body into the ship.

Making it halfway up towards the control panel, Martha's knees gave way and she went crashing down to the metal grating; wincing at the pain of the hard landing. However she managed not to drop Jack and after gently lowering him to the grating, started to check his vitals.

The Doctor ignored Martha as she worked, he was more interested in getting them and the TARDIS out in piece before the entire structure collapsed. It seemed that the ship had the same idea as he did; before he could flip the switches and power up the column it started to move on its own and the familiar wheezing sound filled the room.

Martha was dimly aware of the TARDIS moving but she was more concerned with Jack; his heart had stopped and she had to act fast. "Don't die on me." She muttered as she started to perform CPR. Even though Martha knew that Jack would come back, she didn't want him to die in the first place.

Pausing to check his heartbeat and pulse, her own heart sank when she couldn't find either. Another round and she checked for them again but there was nothing.

Tears stinging her eyes, she sat back and choked back a sob. It wasn't fair; no matter if he could come back it still wasn't fair.

Martha was broken out of her thoughts when she felt pressure on her shoulder and looked up to see the Doctor standing over her. He didn't say anything but Martha knew that he felt the same way.

Taking a deep breath, Martha wiped the tears from her eyes and knew that all they could do now was wait.


	26. Lost & Found

Elizabeth still wasn't sure what had just happened and the fact that Rodney was just as stumped as she was made her even more concerned. But she could worry about that later; right now she needed to focus on cleaning up the aftermath of the battle. While Rodney, Carson and their staffs had made it through with losing only a few the same couldn't be said for the military contingent.

But such was the way of war, there were always bound to be casualties.

Cautiously stepping on the broken glass that littered the floor of the Control Room, she made her way up the stairs towards her office. Suddenly there was a loud wheezing sound and an unknown wind picked up. Everyone paused what they were doing and looked around for the source of the noise, then Elizabeth thought she dimly saw the outline of a box. Thinking it was just a trick her mind was playing, Weir blinked rapidly but the outline didn't go away; in fact it was growing more and more solid.

Still aware that there were still unknown threats out there, John and his men aimed and loaded their weapons at the area the box was occupying. No one spoke as the wheezing came to an end and the box filled out. Elizabeth could feel the tension in the room as everyone waited to see what new danger was behind the doors, but at the same time she had a nagging feeling in the back of her head that the box was familiar.

Then it clicked just as the door opened and the Doctor stuck his head out. "John." Elizabeth said as she made her way down the steps. "It's alright."

John recognized the Doctor once he stuck his head out but at the same time didn't back down; it was his fault that those _things_ had attacked the city. Only when Elizabeth all but ordered him to lower his weapon did he signal his men to do the same.

The Doctor smiled as everyone relaxed and stopped looking like they were going to shoot him if he looked cross-eyed at anyone. Fully stepping out of the TARDIS, the Time Lord said in his normal care-free voice, "Nothing like a good stand off to get the hearts beating but still...better when those things aren't pointed at me."

Elizabeth looked at the mysterious man for a few seconds, trying to understand how he could be so happy when people had just died defending the city. "I think we need to talk." She finally said.

"Of course, wouldn't dream of leaving without a little chat. Would be terribly rude." The Doctor said as he heard Martha step out. Glancing at her, he asked a silent question and she gave her head a slight shake. Pretending like nothing had happened, he took a step towards Elizabeth while saying, "Why don't we go to your office, we can talk there before we get to the clean up."

* * *

"So the Ancients built a fail-safe in case the Dalek's tried to turn on their creators?" Elizabeth asked slightly skeptical. Even knowing that Pegasus was filled with things she couldn't begin to understand, she was having trouble believing what the Doctor had just told her.

The Doctor nodded his head while folding his arms, "Both here and at the outpost."

"But I've never seen anything like you've described on the maps or even a mention in the database."

"That's because they didn't want it known to the general public, only those who built it knew about it and there might be some mention of it in the database; you just haven't stumbled across it."

"Where is it?" Elizabeth asked as she pulled up a map of the city and gave it to the Doctor.

He studied it for a few minutes and then pulled up a section of the city that he guessed they hadn't even gotten around to exploring, "Should be there."

Elizabeth looked at the area and made a note to have John take Rodney and some of their people down there; they needed to see if the fail-safe could work again if the need arose.

However there was one question that still bothered her, "How do you know all of this? From what you told me it all happened so quickly."

"That it did, but I figured out that there was some kind of weapon they had made. The Alterians thought they were brilliant but they weren't stupid; some of them had to of known that the Dalek's wouldn't stay compliant forever. And the TARDIS filled in the rest, turns out the old girl was talking to the city the entire time we've been here."

"I thought that Time Lord and Ancient technology weren't compatible."

"Oh they aren't. But the TARDIS has been around for awhile; wouldn't surprise me if she still had a few tricks up her sleeves."

Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at the Doctor's choice of words. But the amusement was short lived because they had a lot of work to do in the months ahead. It wasn't going to be easy but the Expedition would carry on as it had done from the beginning. She stood and was going to thank the Doctor for his help when the sounds of a commotion were heard.

Walking out of the office, Elizabeth went to the walkway and looked out over the Control Room to see the Doctor's box disappear.

* * *

Jack inhaled deeply and coughed violently as he choked on the air that entered his lungs. He was dimly aware of movement besides him, of arms holding him as he shook the cobwebs of death away. After what seemed like an eternity the coughing subsided and Jack opened his eyes to see Martha's face.

Halfheartedly smiling he managed to say, "I knew an angel was watching over me."

Martha chuckled at the comment while giving him a smack on the arm.

"Ow," Jack winced, pretending to be hurt by the blow. "what was that for?"

"For dying on me. Don't you know that you're not allowed to do that?" Martha said with a smile, although her eyes were serous.

"Sorry, although I wasn't planning on it." Jack said as he slowly sat up and looked around to see that he was in the TARDIS. "How long?"

"Almost two hours." Martha replied, standing and moving towards the glass of water she had set out a few hours ago. Getting it, she then went back to Jack and gave it to him. "Drink this, but slowly."

"Thanks." The cool liquid felt good against Jack's parched throat and as he handed the glass back to Martha, Jack realized that there was something off about all of this. It wasn't the fact that he had almost no idea of how he got back to the TARDIS or even what had happened back at the outpost...it was something else.

Something that was bugging him and he didn't like it.

Martha noticed the troubled look on Jack's face and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know...feels like I forgot something."

"Forgot like 'I think I left the stove on' or forgot like 'I completely forgot the fact that it was our anniversary'?"

"A little of both, I think." Jack stared at Martha for a few minutes, hoping to come up with what was bothering him but he was still at a loss. Shaking his head, he gave her a smile and started to stand, "Don't worry about it, I'm sure that it'll come to mind."

Martha reached out to help Jack up when the sound of the column activating reached her ears and she paused, wondering what was going on.

The sounds stopped as suddenly as it had started and the pair stood still, waiting for the next shoe to drop. But nothing happened and Jack knew that one of them would have to poke their head outside in order to see what was going on.

And since they had no idea what was out there it would have to be him.

Slowly making his way towards the door Jack felt Martha grab his arm. Pausing he didn't say anything, having his look do all the talking for him.

Martha knew that look, she'd seen it plenty of times on the trips she'd taken with Jack and the Doctor however he'd only come back to life a number of minutes ago; she was sure that he didn't want to repeat the process so soon. But at the same time she knew that it was useless to convince him otherwise.

"Fine, but I'm coming with."

Jack just gave her a smile and continued towards the door. Opening it, he stuck his head out and took in the surroundings. Where ever they were it looked like it had been through hell; debris everywhere, machines crushed under pieces of metal, glass shards strewn all over the place. Taking a few hesitant steps, he caught a glimpse out of a window and saw spires that looked very much like the ones on Atlantis. Then he saw the main tower and realized that they were still on Atlantis; although _where_ they were Jack had no idea.

Looking around, he realized that this place must have been some kind of lab; but why the TARDIS had brought them here he had no idea. Being mindful of the glass on the floor, Jack slowly made his way inwards. The nagging feeling kept getting stronger and while he would admit that something in this room was responsible for it, he was at a loss as to what.

Martha watched Jack thread his way through the debris, wondering what was on his mind. She didn't ask because he might get distracted and hurt himself and she didn't want that to happen, but it looked like he was looking for something. Not sure what to make of it, she just stood there; waiting for some kind of answer.

Minutes passed and the feeling hadn't gone away but Jack was ready to give up. Maybe it was just his imagination that there was something here, a side affect of coming back to life. Turning around, he looked at Martha and said, "There's nothing here."

"Then why'd the TARDIS bring us here?"

Jack shrugged, "Got me. But let's get out of here." He took a step forwards when he thought he heard something. Pausing he listened but there was silence. Dismissing it, he took a few more steps and was about to take another when he through he heard something again. Stopping, he waited to hear the noise again.

"What's..." Martha started to ask but trailed off when Jack raised his finger to his lips in order to shush her.

"Listen." He said quietly, eyes wondering around the room; looking for anything out of the ordinary.

Then he heard it; a faint groan. Quickly glancing at Martha, Jack could tell she had heard it as well. But they had no idea where it was coming from.

Both of them waited to hear it again and after a few seconds they did, this time it was accompanied with the sounds of debris being moved. It was coming from Jack's left and so that was the direction he moved in; being careful not to hurt himself he searched for signs of life.

"Hello?" Martha called out as she moved into the room, trying to get whoever was in there to respond so they could find them easier. "Can you hear me?" There was no reply and Martha feared that they had arrived too late. But then they heard another groan, this one louder than before.

Narrowing the area, Jack continued to look for any signs of movement. Then he saw something out of the corner of his eye and stopped, turning towards where he thought he saw it.

The hand stood out, it was so covered in blood and grime that it almost made Jack recoil in horror. There was no way that the owner of the hand was alive. But until he saw for himself that they were dead Jack would try to keep an optimistic outlook.

"Over here Martha!" Jack called out as he started to clear the area. It was going to take two in order to remove the larger pieces of metal that had collapsed on top of the person. Once they had gotten the easier sections removed, Jack saw that there was more than one hand; which meant that there were two people under there. Although who they were he had no idea; the groaning had stopped and Jack hoped that they weren't too late.

After what seemed like hours, they were finally making a dent onto the pile that had encompassed whoever it was under it. Lifting a rather large piece, it must have shifted some things around because all of a sudden there was a small avalanche of debris. Not wanting to hurt the people trapped, Jack and Martha moved their bodies over the ones on the ground and waited until the shower was over to brush themselves off.

Removing the last bit of glass from her jacket, Martha and Jack then removed the final pieces of metal and were finally able to see the owner of the hand that they had found.

"Oh my God!" Martha gasped when she saw who it was.

* * *

"What just happened?" Elizabeth asked the Doctor, who had followed her out of the office.

The Doctor stared at the spot where the TARDIS had been, "I haven't the faintest clue."

Weir looked at the man and while she found it hard to believe that he had no idea what was going on could see from his expression that he was telling the truth up front for once. She could also tell that it worried the Doctor but didn't know what to say. However, before she could say anything the Doctor brightened up and said, "Never mind that, I'm sure she'll come back when the time's right."

Moving so that he stood by Weir at the balcony, the Doctor said, "There's a lot to clean up."

"That there is, more than we can see." Elizabeth replied in an even tone. "It'll take time, but I'm sure that the city will sparkle once again."

The Doctor chuckled, "Well if they have you at the helm I have no doubt that it will." He then started down the steps, eager to join in the clean up.

Elizabeth watched him go and couldn't help but wonder, yet again, who he really was. It seemed like one moment he had the weight of the entire universe on his shoulders and then the next he was as carefree as a bluebird. She was sure that there was more to the man than met the eye but at the same time he had helped save the city so she wasn't going to go looking for answers; if he wanted to clear the air then she would be more than willing listen.

Realizing that she had to get back to work, Elizabeth made her way down to Chuck's station and asked, "Where's Doctor McKay?"

"Down by the ZedPM ma'am." Chuck replied looking up at Weir. "Wanted to see how much energy was left."

"Good, let me know when he reports in."

"Yes ma'am."

She then headed down the last flight of stairs in order to head over to the infirmary and talk with Carson as to how many injured and dead there were. Elizabeth knew that there had to be a long list and she hoped that most of them were injured; it would be near devastating to the military force here if there were only a few survivors.

Elizabeth had almost reached the door when the familiar wheezing sound and rush of air appeared. Pausing, she was surprised that the TARDIS had returned so soon; it had only been gone a few minutes. But then she remembered that it traveled through time so for all she knew was that it had been gone for hours.

Everyone had paused what they were doing when the sounds appeared, those standing closest had moved out of the way; not wanting to be caught in the wake of the ship's arrival. After it had finished appearing no one moved, waiting for the door to open once more and its occupants to exit.

The door opened almost immediately and Elizabeth saw Martha appear; supporting someone. It was too much weight for her and she collapsed to the ground, being careful not to drop who she was helping.

Martha hit the ground while at the same time made sure that Lorne wasn't hurt even more by her fall. She then sat up and she tore at Evan's shirt where it was ripped. What she saw was bad; there were bruises and gashes everywhere, but what worried her most was the long tear on his side as well as the nasty looking cut on his head. It was a miracle that he was still alive.

Not caring about what people would think of her, Martha was a doctor and when it came down to modesty or saving someone's life it was easy as to which one was chosen (and she was wearing a cotton undershirt), she took off her shirt and pressed it against the long tear on Evan's side.

Looking up for the first time since the had arrived, Martha saw that everyone was looking at them with a measure of surprise in their faces; like they didn't know what to think of what they saw. However before she could look for the Doctor her attention was attracted towards the hallway as Carson and some of his staff came running into the room.

Martha kept the pressure on Lorne's side while Carson stopped and knelt down on the opposite side. Not missing a beat she said, "Jack and I found him under some rubble and he's had trauma to his head and side. I have no idea how long the Major was under everything so we need to act fast." She moved away when one of Carson's staff took over holding her shirt to the wound but continued talking, "He's lost a lot of blood and has been unresponsive since we found him."

"How did you then? Looks like he's been buried for awhile." Carson asked, noting the caked blood on the Major's forehead as they got ready to transfer him to the stretcher.

"We heard someone groan and it was him." Martha replied as they moved him onto the stretcher and then started to move out of the room. Knowing that she'd be more help with Doctor Beckett than here with all the techs, Martha followed them as they moved.

She then heard the familiar creak of the TARDIS door and paused; looking at the Doctor as she did.

The Doctor looked towards Martha as she left and saw her pause, looking back towards him. Then he saw the pain flash across her face, but then she turned away and was gone.

Wondering what that was all about, the Doctor turned his attention to the TARDIS where the door was opening. Knowing that it was Jack, it had to be since him and Martha left together, he smiled knowing that his friend was alive and ready to start the task of setting everything back to rights.

The door opened and Jack appeared, with him the smile slowly fading from the Doctor's face.

He was holding Max in his arms.


	27. Bad Moon Rising

His head hurt. So did his side, but Evan's head was pounding in time to the beat of his heart and then suddenly...it was gone.

For a few seconds he thought that he was dead, but there was only darkness.

Cold, never-ending darkness.

Stumbling blindly through the inky black he groped around wildly looking for something, someone to grab onto and give him the reassurance that he wasn't dead.

Then suddenly there was a bright flash of light and Lorne felt a warm tingling in his hands and feet that suddenly spread to throughout the rest of his body.

"_What the hell?_" he thought to himself as the light faded away as suddenly as it had appeared. There was still the darkness but this time it wasn't so cold and Lorne wasn't as afraid of being alone in it.

Seconds later, Lorne realized that there was another light. This time it didn't seem to be going away and Evan realized that he was staring at the infirmary lights.

The answer as to how he had gotten there escaping him, Evan blinked rapidly and tried to focus his eyes.

"Ah, you're awake."

It took a minute for Evan's brain to register that it was Carson's voice he was hearing and when it did, he looked over to see the man standing at the side of his bed with a smile on his face. "It was touch and go there for a wee bit, Major; almost lost you a couple of times."

"How...long..." Lorne said, the words almost a labor to say.

"Short on three days. Martha an' Captain Harkness were lucky ta find you when they did." Carson said as he made a few notes on the Major's chart. "But don' worry 'bout that, just focus on restin'."

Satisfied that Lorne was out of the woods, Carson gave the man a wink and walked past the cloth partition; pulling it closed as he did.

Silence filled his ears and as Evan lay there, he tried to remember everything that had happened. The last thing he could remember was finding Piper and trying to get out of there. The rest was a blank.

Obviously the structure had collapsed and Carson said he was lucky to be alive. But what about Piper?

Beckett hadn't said anything but at the same time he hadn't asked and from the glance he had gotten past the partition he didn't see her which only increased his curiosity.

* * *

Jack stood in the doorway, not wanting to go in but at the same time he knew he had to. Eventually he had to go in and see her, it wasn't like he could just wish that this was all a dream and he'd wake up to find that she was next to him. That the fight hadn't begun quite yet and there was still time to relish in the fact that he was content with someone and didn't want to go running off at first light.

But he was deluding himself with these thoughts and Jack needed to press ahead, to think of what he was going to do when they went back.

The make-shift morgue was in a semi-used part of the city, one of the only places that there was enough room to lay out all the dead. They lay in neat rows, one after the other, that filled up the room and had a sheet over them so those who went by them didn't have to look at the empty faces of their friends.

He had seen rows like those before, most likely would see them again and he tried to distance himself from the fact that someone he cared about was in there, waiting for him to take her back to the family she had left behind and try to explain what had happened.

But no matter how hard he tried, Jack could still feel the pain.

It wasn't fair.

Knowing that if he didn't go soon then he'd lose his nerve, Jack took a deep breath and stepped inside; his footsteps echoing in the silence.

Section five, row three, first one to the right.

It sounded so impersonal when he recalled the instructions on how to find her. She was more than a number, part of the body count.

They all were and it wasn't fair that they had to die in order to save a city.

Finding her, Jack stopped and stood to the side of the body; trying to muster up the courage to gently pull back the sheet and look at her face. He shouldn't find this so hard, he had done it countless times before working for Torchwood and would do it countless times after his time ended there, but this particular instance made him feel like a rookie again.

However, Jack knew it had to be done so he walked in-between the corpses and sat down. He sat there for awhile, wondering why everything played out like it had; there were so many questions swirling around his head that Jack didn't know if he'd even get all, if any, of them answered.

Finally getting up the nerve and knowing that if he didn't do it now then he'd never do it, reached with his shaking hands to pull back the sheet from her face.

It slipped easily from her head and Jack stared at the chalky white face.

She seemed so out of character, he was used to her skin being so filled with color and personality that it was a little unsettling to have it stripped of all signs of life.

But that's what happened when someone died.

"How am I going to explain to Lorne that you died saving his life but it wasn't you who did it?" Slightly chuckling Jack continued, "Here you are on Atlantis before you've ever been here, dead even though you're alive."

"What am I going to tell them?" He asked as a single tear fell. Jack then fell silent and knew that they had to leave soon; there was nothing more for them to accomplish here. Gently smiling, he leaned in to kiss her one last time and as he felt his lips touch hers he felt something change.

* * *

The Doctor stood silently on the balcony and watched the moon that had started to rise.

So many here wouldn't see it again.

He felt bad for all those who had died fighting the Dalek's, he always did whenever there was a fight; no matter how many times he tried to find a peaceful way to solve things.

But there was one death that he felt especially guilty over.

Max hadn't even wanted to come along on the trip but both him and Jack had convinced her to. If he had just remembered her last words to him then maybe none of this wouldn't of happened.

Elizabeth spotted the Doctor as she walked past and decided to join him, he had been sobered by the death of his friend as had Doctor Jones and Captain Harkness. She knew from Carson how lucky the Major was to be alive and wondered how it was considered fair that one man live while the other died. Stepping out, she walked up beside him while saying, "Lovely view isn't it?"

"That it is." The Doctor replied as he kept his gaze on the horizon.

They were silent for awhile until Elizabeth spoke up, "Plan on leaving soon?"

"Maybe in a few; I think that we should help with assessing the damage to the city. After all we did help cause it."

"If you'd like. Most of it occurred in un-used sections of the city, nothing that was vital to the Expedition was damaged beyond repair."

The Doctor didn't respond to her comment and Elizabeth knew that he was trying but at the same time she needed to know if he could help them repair the fail-safe; it had been destroyed during the battle and so far Rodney wasn't having any luck in figuring out how to start the repairs.

It was time to stop dancing around the issue and ask the question directly, "Doctor I-"

"Sorry but I can't help you." He replied, interrupting her.

"Can't or won't?"

The Doctor turned to look at her, "They're gone so there's no need to fix it; the temptation to use it again would be to great. It was only meant as a last resort when everything else had failed."

"Yet before we could set the auto-destruct it-they took over." Elizabeth replied a bit more sharply then she had intended. But it was true, before they could have used every last resource Captain Harkness and Miss Halliwell had taken matters into their own hands.

She looked into his eyes and saw that they burned with desire but were frigid with scorn. "You're a man of many contradictions, Doctor."

The Doctor gave Weir a smile, one that didn't reach his eyes, and opened his mouth to reply when he stopped and looked towards the other side of the city.

Elizabeth followed his gaze while wondering what was happing now. Couldn't they get at least a night's rest before the next emergency? Then she heard movement beside her and turned in time to see the Doctor bolt inside, running down the hallway.

Standing there for a few seconds, she shook her head and slowly walked inside; there was plenty to do for now.

* * *

With each step the Doctor's mind told him to go the opposite way, that he needed to run _away_ from the morgue; not _towards_ it. But at the same time he needed to see for himself that it was happening and not just some cruel mind game. His Converse's slapped against the smooth floor of Atlantis as he weaved in and out of the people who were busy repairing the city.

Reaching a transporter, he stepped inside and pressed the area where he wanted to go, slightly bouncing up and down as he did. The journey took less then twenty seconds but to him it felt like years. Hardly waiting for the doors to open, he slithered through them and ran down the hall; skidding around the corners.

Arriving at the make-shift morgue, he skittered to a stop in the doorway and hesitated for a second; there was still time to grab Martha as well as Jack and get away from here. But he had made up his mind and once that was done the Doctor was hard pressed to change it.

Slowly stepping in, he looked towards the middle of the room and stopped just past the threshold; staring.

Jack was standing up and carrying Max, who was wrapped in the Captain's coat.

She was alive.

As Jack stood he heard someone come in and looked up to see the Doctor enter. They exchanged looks, each speaking volumes without saying anything.

She was alive after being dead for two days.


	28. Fallen

A/N: this is the last update for awhile, my upper-level uni classes are demanding attention and the bunnies have decided to abandon me for the time. But I do have a good cliff-hanger! (that gets me brownie points right?)

"I don't know how to explain it." Carson said, looking at someone who had been declared dead two days ago.

Max smiled faintly, "Neither do I."

"If you don' mind me sayin', by all rights you were dead." Carson stared at the women who had become a puzzle to him. While he had been busy working on the Major, Doctor Pierce had tried to revive the lass but she had been gone for too long for it to do any good. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Max looked into Carson's blue eyes and was silent, trying to remember, "Major Lorne and I had just found some kind of Ancient lab."

Beckett just made a few notes and then smiled, "Well we are in the Pegasus Galaxy; I'm sure stranger things will happen. However, there is something that I wanted to talk to you about."

* * *

Evan heard movement on the other side of the partition and sat up as it was pushed aside.

"Piper?" It was more of a statement than a question since he had been told that she hadn't made it. Instantly his mind was filled with questions as to how this was possible. Maybe this was all a dream; that he was still in a coma and his mind was trying to cope with what he already knew.

"May I?" Max asked, gesturing towards the bed.

"Uh...sure. They told me you were dead." He said instantly, not able to keep the statement at bay any longer.

"That's what everyone's been telling me." She replied, sitting down on the edge and looking at him. Taking his hand she gently squeezed it, "Does that seem real?"

"Yeah."

Max laughed, "Good."

"But how..."

"I'm not sure; the last thing I really remember we had just discovered the lab."

Lorne laughed and slightly winced at the twinge in his chest. It was going to take a while for him to get back to feeling normal. "At least you're ok, gave me a scare there."

"Actually there's a reason why I came to see you-"

"You mean that it wasn't just to see that I was fine?" Evan teased a little, knowing from her eyes that there was something weighing heavily on her mind.

Max gave Lorne a small smile, one that didn't reach her eyes, and she removed her hand from his. "There are some things that I need to tell you..."

"Like what? You're in love with me?" Lorne asked with a smile which faded when he saw that she wasn't laughing along. "_Christ_...I mean-I'm flattered and all-"

"Oh get over yourself." Max retorted, giggling slightly and gently hitting Lorne where he wasn't hurt. "Not every girl is going to fall for you like Colonel Sheppard."

Lorne let out breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding and pretended to be hurt by the comment, "Would it help if I started wearing my hair all mussy?"

Max just smiled and shook her head, "Sorry, but I like it they way your hair is; short but long enough to run a hand through."

Evan chucked but sobered up slightly, "But seriously...I have a few questions of my own."

"Let me go first, I have a feeling that they might be answered with what I have to say."

* * *

Evan didn't know what to think. He was silent, looking at Pip-_Maxine_ who was avoiding his gaze.

"So you know now why I couldn't tell you?"

"Bad end of the world type stuff?"

Max let a half-smile slip onto her face, "Something like that."

They were silent, each not sure what to say, until Lorne asked, "Can I see?"

Max looked at him for a few seconds and then nodded, setting Jack's greatcoat onto the bed and then reaching back to unclasp the necklace.

Evan blinked and tried not to get motion sick as Piper (it still seemed somewhat foreign to him that her real name was Maxine) blurred for a moment and then, suddenly, he was looking at a brunette with warm chocolate eyes and he could see why he would-_did_ marry her. "Wow..." he breathed, not sure what else to say.

Max laughed a little and Lorne saw a faint blush appear on her cheeks. While he was still wrapping his head around the fact that he would finally settle down, on Atlantis nonetheless, and raise a family. "How...how many kids?"

"Five; we adopted two after the Athosians...after they went through some hard times and two are twins."

"Really?" Evan asked, feeling a grin appear on his face. He wasn't surprised that there were twins; it did run on his side of the family.

"Yes really." Max replied as she handed him the glass of water from the stand to the side. "Here, you look like you might need some."

"Thanks." He took a long drink and then set it back. "So tell me, how did we meet?"

"Sorry, but that's one thing I can't tell you." Max said with a wink. "You'll just have to see for yourself."

Evan chuckled, "I sweep you of your feet don't I?"

"If you say so."

Lorne felt a huge yawn threaten to escape him and he wondered how he hadn't realized that he was about to fall asleep until now. Trying to keep his eyes open, Evan found that he was fighting a loosing battle but needed to ask one more question, "Are...we...are we...happy?"

Max looked away so she didn't have to look at his face and closed her eyes, trying not to breakdown in front of him. Taking a deep breath Max forced a smile on her face and opened her mouth to answer him when she saw Evan was asleep. Or rather passed out from the Retcon she had slipped into the water.

She hated doing it, but it needed to be done; he couldn't remember anything that she had just told him. Putting the necklace back on, Max stood and slipped Jack's coat on then silently made her way out of the infirmary. There wasn't anyone around, Carson was in his office but it was far enough that he hadn't been able to hear them talk in low voices. She ached to tell him to be careful, to tell him about that fateful Sunday and to not die but she knew that she couldn't. Max knew she couldn't mess with the timeline or there would be repercussions and also knew that Carson would never let a patient die if he could help it.

Making her way down towards the TARDIS, she wondered if the Doctor had already left; she had seen how he had looked at her as Jack carried her out of the morgue.

Like she was wrong.

She wouldn't blame him, after all that is what he was good at when around her; leaving.

It didn't matter if it was just in her mind or actually happened, the realization that he could leave her stranded at any place or time made her cautious.

And then Carson told her that she had been expecting twins.

Max had suspected that she was pregnant again; getting sick before the Dalek's attacked and also feeling like she had before with Jack and David made her wonder and Carson had confirmed her suspicions. However, it turned out that they hadn't survived everything her body had gone through.

Feeling a tear make its way down her face, she wiped it away with the sleeve and stopped; leaning against the wall and breaking down.

Letting the tears flow, Max slid to the ground; she had no idea what was going to happen now, but at the same time she didn't want to know. Too much had happened with too many lives that had been taken that she just wanted to forget everything.

Hearing footsteps she tried to collect herself and hastily wiped the tears away when she heard someone speak, "Max?"

Looking up she saw that it was Jack and he had a worried look on his face. "Jack-" Max said in a voice thick with tears before cutting off and breaking down again.

Jack instantly sat down and wrapped his arms around Max, drawing her closer to him. "Hey..." he said gently while trailing off since he had no idea what to say.

Jack knew he should say that it would be all right, but at the same time he couldn't bring himself to lie. Jack knew what she was starting to go through, after Rose had brought him back to life he had been a mess.

He wished he could offer words of solace to her, but knew at the same time that they wouldn't help.

So he just held her.

* * *

"Major!"

Evan looked up to see Jack breeze into the infirmary and nodded, "Captain."

"May I?" Jack asked, nodding to the edge of the bed.

"Sure."

Jack saw down while trying to formulate a way to say what needed to be said without giving too much away, "Listen...there's something I need to tell you."

"Which is?"

"Let's just say that we might run into each other again." Jack said with a slight smile. Now he understood why the future Lorne would be so tight-lipped about the whole thing and at the same time Jack wondered if he should bring it up when they returned.

"Really?" Evan asked, raising an eyebrow. "And how do you know that?"

"Sorry, can't tell you that. But do me a favor and don't mention any of this...if you do bad things might happen."

"Bad end of the world type stuff?" As he spoke those words, something niggled at the back of Lorne's brain which gave him a sense of déjà vu. Pausing for only a second, Evan shook off the feeling; it was common while working for the SGC.

Jack chuckled at the comment but guessed that the end of the world might be preferable to the Cleaners. The way things had happened he was surprised (but in the end relieved) that they hadn't shown up. However instead of vocalizing those thoughts, he just shook his head, "Just trust me when I say that it'll be all for the best if you keep quiet."

Lorne just looked at the Captain, "If you say so." Shifting slightly, he asked, "Leaving?"

"Yeah, we need to get back and deal with...some things." Jack finished somewhat flatly, knowing that the words understated what exactly they had to deal with.

"I see." Lorne could tell from the flash of pain on Jack's face that he had to tell Piper's family that she hadn't made it. "Listen Captain, I know that it's hard-"

"Of course it is Major, but life's hard. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth living." Jack interrupted as he stood. Giving the man a wink he continued, "I'll be seeing you."

Evan watched as the Captain walked away, wondering how someone so mysterious could be so charismatic. However his thoughts didn't stay on the Captain long, they wondered over to the equally mysterious woman who had dropped into his life and left just as suddenly.

* * *

"I don't like it." John said as he walked with Elizabeth down the hallway.

"So you've said." Elizabeth replied as she made a few notes on her datapad about the repairs that were going to be needed in the section they were walking through. It was a long list and was going to get longer as they continued their inspection, but fortunately right now it only looked like none of the areas the Expedition used on a regular basis was going to need anything more than a few minor things fixed and a new coat of paint.

Looking up she continued, "What would you have me do; put them in the brig again?"

"Well..."

"I wasn't serious."

"But we still don't know who they really are and they brought those..._things_ here!" John protested. He knew that once Elizabeth made up her mind there was no changing it but he still had to try. "You heard General Landry-"

"I know but they also helped save the city. Don't tell me that we could've done it on our own; we didn't even know about the fail-safe until after the fact. Things could have been a lot worse."

"I know that, but we need to consider the fact that none of this would have happened if they hadn't shown up in the first place." John stated bluntly. It was the truth and he could see that Elizabeth knew it as well. "What are you going to tell General Landry when he wants to know what the hell happened?"

Elizabeth paused and looked at John, "I'll tell him that they helped us save the city and that I saw no threat so I let them leave."

From the look Elizabeth gave him, John could tell that the discussion was over with and there was no way he could change her mind. They made their way to Weir's office where the Doctor and Martha were waiting.

"Are you sure you won't stay a little longer?" Elizabeth asked the Doctor as he stood when they entered her office. "I'm sure that Doctor McKay would love it if you'd help out with the repairs."

The Doctor caught the sour look that appeared on Rodney's face once the suggestion had been made and chuckled, "I'm afraid not, we have some of our own repairs to look after."

"I see." Elizabeth replied, knowing that the repairs wouldn't only be on the TARDIS. Word traveled fast in the city and everyone knew of how Piper Halliwell had come back from the dead. She had made herself scarce after that, but that didn't stop tongues from wagging.

Whatever she might offer, Weir was glad to see the Doctor and his crew leave; too much had been lost since their arrival and the city needed time to heal its wounds. Smiling politely Elizabeth continued, "Well, you best be on your way."

"Right-o," the Doctor said. He paused, made a face and looked to Martha saying, "Right-o? Please stop me from saying that ever again."

Martha couldn't help but laugh a little, "Sure thing."

"Anyways! Glad to have met you all and I hope we meet again."

"Not if I can help it." John muttered under his breath, glaring slightly as the Doctor and Martha made their way down the stairs. He still didn't like the fact that Elizabeth was going to let them go and not hand them over to the SGC so they could figure out who they really were.

Jack walked into the Control Room just as the Doctor and Martha reached the landing and looked up to where Elizabeth and John were standing, watching them. He nodded to both of them and snapped to attention; saluting both Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard. Jack knew what both of them would do for the Expedition in the years to come, what they would give up in order to save the city and he wanted to honor them.

John was more than a little surprised when Captain Harkness saluted them, from what he had seen and according to Rodney (as well as almost all the personnel on Atlantis) the man was more of a flirt than soldier. But at the same time he felt honored that the man was saluting him and John saluted him back.

Elizabeth saw Captain Harkness salute John but as she looked she also saw that his eyes were on her. That's how she got the feeling it was for her as well. Letting a small smile appear, she nodded her head to acknowledge the action and then continued to watch as the Captain gave a wink to Rodney who then almost dropped his datapad.

Chuckling she turned towards her office and walked up the steps, the report for this was going to take awhile.

* * *

The Doctor noticed that people stared as they all made their way to where the TARDIS was, not that he blamed them. So much had gone unanswered that there were bound to be those wondering who they really were.

Stepping inside he could tell that the old girl was ready to go, there was that old itch that only traveling could scratch and as the Doctor made his way to the console he automatically knew the ship would start up. He could also tell that Martha as well as Jack were ready to get back to their lives but before they could do that there were a few things that needed to be taken care of.

Jack closed the door behind him and walked up the ramp, watching Martha and the Doctor bustle about the room. If Jack didn't know any better he would've thought that everything was normal. However he knew that it wasn't and that they'd have to deal with what happened on Atlantis before they could move forwards.

The Doctor flipped a few switches, pulled the lever down and the column started to move slowly and the familiar wheezing sound filled the silent room. The Time Lord then stepped back, watching the column move up and down as the TARDIS traveled through time and space, thinking. He needed to talk to Max before she left, to clear the air between the two of them; there were things that needed to be said.

Turning he left the room and walked through the hallways, hands in his pockets, with a destination in mind. It felt like only yesterday he was walking the same halls with someone who couldn't wait to see what was out there. Reaching the room, he stopped in the doorway and rapped on the frame, "Mind if I come in?"

Max looked up at the sound of the Doctor's voice; he was the last person she'd expect to see right now. Ever since she had come back he had made himself scare around her, not that she wasn't surprised; Jack had said the same thing had happened to him. Nodding her head, she gave him a weak smile, "Come in."

Walking into the room, the Doctor couldn't help but smile when he spotted the scarf and picking it up said, "So that's where it popped off to. I can't remember how many times I went looking for it only to end up scratching my head wondering where it went."

Max laughed, "Yeah...I always did love wearing it." They then lapsed into an uncomfortable silence until she could bear it no more and asked, "So we're on our way back home?"

"Should be there in oh, a few hours give or take." The Doctor replied, running his hand through his hair. "Although we could pop on over to Tudor England for a quick dance; Henry the VIII could really cut a rug when he was younger. Quite the frat boy as well."

Her gut reaction was to say yes, that she'd love to go, but then Max remembered the last time they had tried to go somewhere after a dangerous adventure it had just ended up making things worse. Shaking her head Max said, "Sorry, but I'll have to pass. I want to get home."

"'course 'course." The Doctor said absentmindedly, his mind already onto the next thing he had to say. "Listen...I know that I've said it before, but I'm sorry about the Belliusans."

"I know you are." Max replied, looking at the Doctor with a thoughtful expression. "But what's done is done."

"Right, so I'd better..." he trailed off, motioning towards the general area of the Control Room.

"Yeah, don't want to end up in the ocean again." Max teased, letting a genuine smile appear on her face.

"One time." The Doctor protested. "I let that happen one time and you never let me forget it."

"Well it _was_ in the middle of the ocean and we _were_ surrounded by two-headed piranhas."

"But no one got hurt, only a little nibbled." The Doctor paused at the threshold, looking at Max for a bit. "Coming?" he asked, holding out a hand for her to take.

"You sure?" Max replied hesitantly, she had seen how he had avoided her after everything. She also knew how he was itching to be off on some wild adventure again, Max could see it in his eyes.

"'Course, what kind of silly question is that?"

Max took the hand and walked with the Doctor towards the Engine Room. But she knew while things might appear to be fine on the outside it was far from the truth. She still didn't know what had exactly happened, or even if this was permanent. For all Max knew, she'd only be alive long enough to say good-bye to everyone and then there'd be no more.

* * *

"Here we are, back home!" the Doctor exclaimed as the consol fell silent. They stepped outside into the night air, eager to get back to their homes and lives.

"Just how long has it been?" Martha asked, looking at her watch even though she knew it was hopeless; they always broke while traveling with the Doctor.

"Shouldn't be more than six hours...I think." The Doctor said, scratching his head.

Martha raised an eyebrow, "You think? Some how I'd of thought that a _Time Lord_ would be able to say how long we've been gone."

"Let's go down to the Hub to check." Jack said, nodding towards the Lift. He hoped that Ianto wouldn't be to mad that he had missed their plans for tonight and Jack was eager to find out how long they'd been gone. Plus he could tell that Max and the Doctor needed a moment to say their good-byes.

"Fine, but don't leave without saying farewell." Martha said, giving the Doctor a quick hug. "Or I'll hunt you down myself."

The Doctor chuckled, "Don't worry, I promise." Then they were gone and it was just Max and himself.

"Doctor..." Max said, looking at the man. No matter what happened when she was with him, the Time Lord would always hold a special place in her heart.

"Max." The Doctor replied, looking at the Companion in front of him and realizing that she had changed while at the same time stayed the same; there was still that spark in her eyes, the lust for travel and adventure, the one that had been there when he had first met her and would never go away. But she need consistency and the Doctor knew that she had found it with Lorne. "One last squeeze for old times sake?"

She laughed while hugging the man, "I'll miss you."

"You're brilliant, you know that? You can change the world if you want to." The Doctor whispered into her ear before he let go.

"And you're fantastic. You'll always have a space in my house ready for you."

"You sure that Lorne won't mind?"

Max smiled faintly, "No...not after I explain everything to him."

The Doctor saw how her eyes lit up when the Major was mentioned and knew that she was more than ready to go back to him. Stuffing his hands into his trouser pockets he said, "Well what are you waiting for? Go tell him so I can show up later on."

Max laughed and after one more quick hug started across the Plass towards their flat.

* * *

Slipping into the flat, Max quietly shut the door and took off her shoes, walking down the hallway in her stocking feet. She wasn't sure how late it was but was sure that everyone was down for the night.

Looking around, she couldn't help but smile to herself; it seems that Evan had managed to keep the place from descending into chaos for the evening. It even looked like he managed to do some cleaning.

Something woke Evan up and quick glance at the clock told him that it was just past 0300. Hearing rustling outside the bedroom he got up from the bed and picked up the sidearm from the nightstand while quickly and quietly loading it. Quietly he opened the door and slipped through it while making sure he didn't alert the person that he was there. Raising the gun he said, "Stop right there."

Max jumped when she heard a voice, turned around and saw that it was Evan. Relaxing, she said, "God, Evan what are you trying to do; give me a heart attack?"

To say that Evan was surprised at the person in front of him would be an understatement. Blinking rapidly, he managed to get out, "Max-"

"I know I should've called…or at least said that I'd be late and not to wait up for me." She replied giving him a sheepish smile. "Forgive me?"

"_Forgive you?_...Max, you've been gone for a year; how can I just 'forgive you'!?" Lorne hadn't meant for the statement to come out so harshly, it's just that all the anger, frustration and confusion he had kept pent-up finally spilled over and it was all he could do in order to keep it under control.

"Sorry?" Max wasn't sure she'd heard straight, for a second she thought that Evan had said she'd been gone for a year instead of six hours. "What did you say?"

"You've been gone a year, Max. Twelve fucking months."


	29. Dangerous

A/N: An update! Life has been very hectic for me since I last updated, but that has ended and I shall work to finish the story (we're very close!). Thank you to all who have stayed with the story, you shall not be let down I promise. Standard disclaimers apply with the addition of spoilers for Children of Earth and the Outer Limits episode 'Ripper' (my own take and expansion on them) Enjoy!

"_Damnit_ Doctor..." Max muttered under her breath. Just when she thought she had a handle on things the Doctor had to go and fuck it all up.

Evan set the gun on the counter and stood by it, not knowing what to say or even do. He had finally resigned himself to the fact that she wasn't coming back and then she appears out of nowhere. Knowing that they were going to have to get to it eventually, Evan ran a hand through his hair and walked towards her; sitting down on the other end of the couch. Taking a deep breath he asked, "When did you first start traveling with him?"

Max felt a wistful smile appear as she replied, "About two years before I came to Atlantis...it felt longer though."

"Why'd you go?" Lorne asked quietly. He still had to tell her what happened while she was gone.

"Honestly...I don't know. I guess that I needed to resolve some things I didn't even know needed to be." Max said, looking at her hands while speaking. Looking back on it, she realized that it hadn't been the best course to take off like that; without so much as a note explaining why but you couldn't undo what was already done.

Her travels with the Doctor had taught her than if nothing else.

"Did you get them resolved?"

Max turned to look at Evan and smiled softly, "I think I did." Standing she made her way towards the window and looked out over the night sky. Sighing softly, Max turned to face Evan while saying, "I'm sorry, I realize now that I shouldn't have taken off like that but you know the Doctor; there are so many possibilities with him. He could take you any where any place with a flip of a switch and is the most mysterious person you could ever meet. He just drops out of the sky to waltz into your life and gives you a taste of something you've never experienced before and how is it hard to say no when he offers to take you on a trip through time and space? He's an enigma in a riddle wrapped in a conundrum and the most fascinating man one person could ever hope to meet. You can be five thousand years into the future or five hundred years in the past and no matter where you go everything is happening for the first time." She gave a soft laugh, "I know it sounds silly but that's how I feel when I'm with him; the universe is his playground and anything can happen."

"Then why'd you stop?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself from asking and he saw Max's eyes harden slightly before she looked out the window.

"That story requires a bottle of cheap booze and-" She was cut off by Evan's lips crashing into her.

Slightly taken aback, Max didn't know what to do until she felt herself responding back. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the wall as Evan kissed her neck and pulled her closer to him. "_God I missed him._" She thought to herself as she let him drag her to the couch.

Evan could see the fondness in Max's face when she talked about the Doctor but also knew that she was truly sorry. He also knew what she meant about the Time Lord; there was something about the man that made you want to follow him. But at the same time he realized how much he had missed Max when she was gone, that's why he kissed her.

No matter how angry he had been at her leaving, he loved her more.

Hitting the arm of the couch he lost his balance and fell over it, Max falling on top of him. They giggled and Max had to take a breath before shushing Evan, "We're gonna wake everyone."

A small grimace flashed across Lorne's face and he knew that the time had come for her to know. "Max…" he said, sitting up and looking at the floor; not knowing how to put it. "there's something you need to know."

* * *

Jack stared at the screen in front of him, not knowing if he could accept what he was reading. He could deal with the fact that the Doctor had been off an entire year in bringing them back, but this...

Everyone had done a good job of keeping the Rift from letting all hell breaking loose and dealt with some rather nasty stuff but it was the incident from six months ago that he had trouble getting over.

It had been a normal 'save the world from certain disaster' scenario; the aliens involved were noted for their use of biological warfare and this time was no different. Owen managed to identify the virus and create some kind of antibodies to fight the buggers but not until it was too late; he and Gwen had caught the virus and died before they could get the antivirus.

That's what it said on the official paperwork. However Jack had found Ianto's notes on the matter and saw that Owen had given his up so that Tosh could live.

While he was sad that he had lost two of his teammates, he was glad that Tosh had survived; she had always held a special spot in his heart. He had seen how bright she was and gave her a second chance when no one else would've.

But he also saw that those weren't the only casualties. Ianto's notes had told him the rest of the story; the virus had taken the Lorne twins as well.

Jack glanced through the rest of the notes and saw that they were in a tiny plot just outside the city limits instead of in a cryo-locker while the remainder of the children had been sent back to the States for their own safety as well as giving Lorne some much needed time to figure everything out (both personally and as the temporary head of Torchwood). Staring at the page, he could only start to guess at how Max was dealing with the news. To come back and not only find out that it was a year later but that her family had been decimated would be nothing short of devistating.

But Jack also knew that Max was tough and would bounce back from this. They all would.

* * *

"Stop! Torchwood!" Max yelled as she chased the figure running down the street. Running after the man she wondered where the hell Jack and the others were, they should have been here by now.

They were trying to track down an alien object and all signs pointed to the corporate section of the city. Tosh had figured out that the object was particularly dangerous and from the digging she had done it seemed that Habscorp, an international corporation, had gotten their hands on it and intended to use it to their advantage. If they managed to unlock it then the entire world could be in trouble and that was the last thing everyone wanted.

Spotting the man slipping into a construction site, Max followed while activating her headset. "Evan, Jack where the _hell_ are you?"

"_A bit tied up at the moment._" she heard Evan reply. Then a chuckle and, "_Although Lorne seems to enjoy it_."

"Jack!" Max hissed as she entered the half-constructed building while pulling out her gun; now was not the time for the man to be flirting. "I'm at the construction site just off of Bute Street."

"_Max, wait for us-_"

"No. The courier has the information and this might be our only chance to grab it." Max replied as quietly as she could, trying not to make her voice echo across the empty space of concrete and plastic sheeting.

"_Max-_" Max turned off her earpiece cutting Jack off. They had an opportunity to get the information they needed to take down Habscorp before things got bad and she was going to take it.

Turning a corner, she spotted the man. "Hey!" she yelled, sprinting towards him and just as she rounded the corner a shot rang out and Max dived for the nearest pillar. Narrowly dodging the second shot, she rested against it and tried to spot where her quarry was instead of wasting bullets guessing (and it didn't help that everything echoed horribly). Another shot rang out and this time it hit the pillar she was hiding against, sending concrete chips flying. Heart pounding Max turned and fired three shots in quick succession, hoping that one of them would find its target. As she was moving back he fired again with the bullet founding its mark and digging into her shoulder.

Pain shot through Max's body and she took an involentary step back. Hearing footsteps, Max realized that he was coming for her and that she needed to stall until the calvary could arrive. Holding her breath, Max moved around the other side of the pillar, while pulling back the hammer on her gun as silently as she could. Knowing that she needed to move in order to draw things out, Max took a deep breath and pushed off the pillar in order to seek a new hiding place. However, before she could get any farther, a hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder; pulling her back. Instantly she went into fighting mode and jabbing her uninjured elbow into her attacker's solar plexus, Max caught him by surprise and broke free.

He recovered quickly and shoved Max to the ground while pulling out his gun. Max hit the ground hard and felt her gun slip out of hand, skittering across the concrete floor; she flinched and steeled herself for what was coming next. But before he could pull back the hammer, two shots rang out and Max opened her eyes to see her attacker on the ground with bullets in the back of his head.

"Nice timing." Max said as Jack and Evan reached her. She was coming down from the adrenaline rush with her arm feeling like it was on fire and it was all she could do to stay upright.

"I like to make a dramatic entrance." Jack replied as he made his way towards the body and started to go through the man's jacket, looking for the information on the box while Evan helped Max up. "Get back to the Hub so Martha can patch you up while I deal with this." He found the thumb drive that he was looking for and tossed it to Evan who caught it deftly. "And have Tosh decrypt this and figure out their plans."

"Will do."

As they left Jack knew that he'd have to talk with Max, this was the eighth time in the month since they've come back that she'd been injured or nearly died. It was becoming clear to him that she wasn't dealing with everything and it was getting to the point where she was becoming reckless, not caring at all if she got hurt in the process of taking the bad guys down.

Jack also knew that she wouldn't like it and would try to bluff her way out of it, but they had been through so much that it wouldn't work with him. If it came to it, Jack was prepared to kick her out of Torchwood until she could deal with everything.

* * *

"Gregory Swain, 23, and our latest victim." Martha said as she queued up the photo of the latest victim onto the screen in the board room. It had been a few months since coming back and she was finally settling into working for Jack and Torchwood.

Although things were going smoothly now, that first month had been hard. Her family had been thoroughly mad at her for taking off like that, and she didn't blame them, but in the end they were simply glad that she had come back in one piece. Now they were on speaking terms and Tish was even planning to come over for the weekend soon.

However things were rough for her, they had been even harder for Max. Even for Jack to a certain extent; both had come back to find their entire worlds turned upside down. Jack had found that Ianto had met someone new and married her a few weeks before they had shown up. Deep down he must have realized that Ianto wasn't going to wait forever, wondering if Jack would ever come back or not. And it seemed that Jack had come to terms with the fact that Ianto had found someone that made him happy and didn't want to ruin that.

"What do we know?" Jack asked, looking at the screen from his seat and wondering what a bright student from the University had in common with the other murders that seemed to be popping up all over the city.

"Same as the others. He went out with a group of friends, didn't show up for a few days and then turned up dead in his flat; girlfriend dead as well." Evan replied as Martha brought up the crime scene photos.

"Any connection?"

"Unclear." Martha replied, pulling up photos of the girlfriend's body which was mutilated as well as surrounded by shattered glass and blood. "From the looks of all the dried blood around the body, she'd been dead a few days. They ruled it a home invasion and think that whoever killed her also killed him."

"Then how is this our problem?" Jack asked, furrowing his eyebrows together while looking at all the different photos. There was something about all of this but he couldn't put his finger on it, like there was just one more piece of the puzzle that needed to be set into place for the whole picture to set it.

"All the victims were spotted at a trendy nightclub across town; each time their credit card was charged there was a spike in Rift energy and then again when they were killed." Tosh replied, pulling up a map of Cardiff and pinpointing each area where the bodies were found in relation to the club. "Here's where all of the bodies were found, there's no relation to the location; residential areas, the business district, even near the university."

"Any relation between victims?"

"Other than the club, so far nothing. I'm analyzing all of their computer records as well as financials as we speak." Tosh said as she tapped away quickly at her laptop as pages of information sped past the screen.

Jack looked at the screen for a few minutes, silent. Then he stood while saying, "Go over everything concerning the victims; I want to know if there's the slightest connection between them."

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Max asked into her headset as she walked down the deserted street. She didn't mind being out, it was nice to be out at night, but what she _did_ mind was being bait to lure what ever it was that was killing across Cardiff. True she had jumped at the chance to help, finally ready to get back in the swing of things since she had agreed with Jack and Evan to reduce her role at Torchwood for a time, but she didn't think that it would involve her wearing a dress and heels; walking around with the hope that she'd be attacked.

"_Trust me._" She heard Jack reply calmly. "_Tosh is tracking your movements back at the Hub so we won't lose you, Martha's got her kit with so if you _do_ get hurt she can patch you up and I'm here to be your shining knight in armor if you need rescuing._"

"I'm sure that you'd love to fill that role." Max replied, ruefully smiling. Shaking her head she wondering how Jack could be so caviler about the whole thing. But then again he was pretty caviler about pretty much everything.

Coming to the end of the street Max realized that this would be her ninth block and her heels were starting to kill her feet. She had made an appearance at the club with Martha, both of them staying long enough for the killer to hopefully mark Max, then they left with Martha intentionally leaving right after they got out and Max heading towards a less populated area.

Pausing at the corner, she slowly surveyed the deserted area; it was that time between dead of night and daybreak, where the late night partiers were starting to leave the clubs and the early risers still had an hour or so before they got up. "There's nothing here, I'm coming back to the SUV." she said, looking down the deserted street. "Shouldn't you be pressuring Tom down at the club?" Max asked as she headed towards the car, which was parked down the block.

"_He already knows that we're on to him, so it's only a matter of time before he slips up. Besides Lorne's keeping tabs on him at the club; if Tom so much as sneezes he'll let us know._"

"G-" Max started to say but was cut off when something grabbed her and pulled her into the alleyway. Yelling she tried to fight off her attacker but was unable to break free. A rough hand clamped down on her mouth, silencing her, and pushed her towards the brick wall. The figure slammed her against the wall and held her there, no matter how hard she struggled. She then felt the other hand close around her throat and start to squeeze. Heart pounding, she realized that Jack might not reach her in time.

Jack was out of the SUV in a flash and ran towards the alley, gun out and ready should the need arise. "Max!" he yelled as he neared the alley and rounded the corner to see two figures struggling. "Let her go!" Jack said as he raised his gun and pointed it at them.

The pressure around her windpipe eased slightly and Max realized that her attacker had been caught by surprise and she needed to use that to her advantage. Pushing hard, she tried to catch him off balance but the killer had recovered from the distraction by then and pushed her back against the wall. Head slamming into the brick wall, Max's vision swam and she felt her knees buckle.

Jack was about to pull the trigger when Max collapsed to the ground. Momentarily distracted, he moved towards her but was stopped by the figure lunging for him. He hardly had time to dodge out of the way and the attacker clipped his shoulder, knocking him slightly off balance; his headset flying off and hitting the ground with a _crunch_.

Knowing that he needed to act fast, Jack leapt towards the shadow and slammed him onto the ground, giving him a powerful right hook across the face. He raised his hand to strike another blow but, with what seemed superhuman strength, the figure shoved Jack and he went flying. Jack landed hard and the next thing he knew the shadow was kneeling over him, ready to land a blow.

Just as he was about to strike, there was a gunshot and the figure flinched. Another shot rang out but it missed its target, hitting the ground and perilously close to Jack's head. He flinched while feeling the attacker release his hold and the sound of footsteps retreating told him that the figure had left.

"You alright?" Martha asked as she knelt besides Jack and helped him sit up. She had stayed behind when Jack had first ran out, on his orders, but then Tosh had called over the network that she had figured out a connection between all of the victims and when Jack didn't respond with surprise (as she had), Martha figured that he was in trouble and from what she had seen it was true.

"Don't worry about me…Max took the brunt of it." Jack replied, wincing a little as he sat up.

As Martha went to check on Max, who was still unconscious, he wondered if they had encountered the killer or it was just a random attack. Taking his throbbing head and the fact that it seemed like the shadow could have gone on until both of them were dead made him think that it was the serial killer. But the identity of the shadow was still unknown; the alley was too dark for either of them to get a clear look, however from the force and malice behind the attempted murder and assault made it seem like it was someone they both knew.

But if that was true, then who was it?

* * *

"So you're telling me that Jack the Ripper is back?" Ianto said as he stared at the screen with a look of disbelief on his face. "In Cardiff."

"Well yes and no." Martha stated as she clicked through numerous pictures from the nineteenth century as well as photos from the different crime scenes. "Look at the photos from when he first struck and then at the most recent attacks. The wounds on the girls are nearly identical, the throats slashed and the body split open with trauma to their lower regions. There's also an unknown green substance that's been found on all of the victims. Crime Scene hasn't been able to identify it, but from what I've seen from the lab results it's most defiantly alien in origin." She stood staring at the screen for a moment before continuing, "Maybe we've been looking at this all wrong; the Ripper _was_ human but there was an alien inside making him kill. After the public started looking for him, it must have disappeared…but why suddenly show up in Cardiff and not in London again?"

"It's feeding off of the Rift, that's why when ever it kills there's a spike in Rift energy." Jack stated as he walked into the conference room and stared at the screen, which now displayed one of the original crime scene photos from London. "Torchwood One figured out what it was and captured it, and we can thank our friends at Habscorp for setting it free and letting it use the Rift to get strong enough to start killing again; that's what was in the box they have." He stared at the screen for a few seconds before continuing. "But why the club and such random targets?"

"Ah, but they're not so random." Tosh replied, pulling up photos of the victims. "They're all connected by the fact that they've cheated on their significant other. _That's_ the common thread besides the club."

"But why attack Max? As far as we know she's never even met these people." Ianto mused out loud, eyebrows furrowing together in thought. "And why different people, I mean I know they thought the Ripper was actually more than one person-"

"It's jumping from person to person." Jack broke in, the pieces falling into place and not liking the picture. "Find someway to get rid of it." He said, and not waiting for a reply he left the room and clattered down the steps, running towards the exit. If he was right then Max was still in danger…

* * *

Max gripped the mug of tea in her hands and stared into its contents; trying to comprehend what had happened. Her entire world had come crashing down for the second time since coming back and she didn't know if the pieces could be glued back together this time. She could feel Jack's eyes on her and wondered what was going through his mind right now and Evan...Max could only guess what he thinking at the moment.

Jack sat at his desk, staring at Max and wondering how they were going to proceed after the events of today. He knew that it sounded cold and calculated but what had just happened threw a spanner into the works. Plus there was the fallout from the whole situation with the 'Ripper' entity; he had raced to their flat on the hunch that Lorne was being used as a host of the alien and had found that he was too late-Max had been killed with Lorne nowhere in sight.

Straighting up in his chair, Jack said, "Go home." He knew that Max needed to finally confront what they had done while on Atlantis, as did he; they had both betrayed someone who they cared about. And he needed to think about what happened today; what exactly all that had happened meant in the long term and how they moved on from there.

Max just nodded and stood, leaving the cup of tea behind and silently went down to the main section of the Hub. As the door shut behind her, Jack wondered if once she was home everything was going to hit the ceiling; both her and Lorne needed to talk about what had happened.

It was only quick thinking by Martha and Tosh that got the entity out of Lorne without harming him and just before he was about to kill Jack. But the biggest surprise had yet to come, with Max coming back to life just as Martha was about to start the autopsy. Clearly there was more to her now that met the eye, but the damage that had been done from the Ripper case took precedence over that right now.

* * *

It was nearly ten when the doorbell rang and Lydia wondered who it could be; hardly anyone stopped by this time of night. Lydia didn't move to get it because she knew that Ianto was closer and he could grab it; and she was busy working on a report for the SGC on charging a ZPM with Rift energy that needed to get done. The bell rang again and she heard Ianto call out from upstairs, "Can you get it Lydia? I'm up to my elbows in laundry."

"Alright." A quick glance out the window told her that it was pouring rain again and that only increased her curiosity. Opening it, Lydia was surprised to see Max at the doorstep, drenched to the bone. "Max...what happened?"

Max looked at Lydia and gave her a ghost of a smile, "Short version; mind if I stay here for a few days?"

Lydia saw that Max was still trying to process everything that had happened today (while she hadn't been at the Hub when Ianto had come home he had filled her in on the important details) and knew that before they could talk she needed to get Max out of those wet clothes. "Of course; don't worry about it. Ianto," she called out. "grab some towels and dry clothes for Max."


	30. This Is Not the End

A/N: Here's the last chapter. Thanks to everyone who stayed with the story through the long breaks and big thanks to everyone who left a review. Standard disclaimers apply and all the place mentioned in Cardiff are real. Read and Please Review!

Max ran down the pier and dove into the water, disappearing under the waves. She was slightly disoriented for a few moments, but movement below told her the direction she needed to go in. Moving through the murk it was hard to keep track of her quarry but Max followed the alien as it moved further down.

Reaching out with her hands, she felt the webbed feet brush against her fingers and gave a burst of speed to grab onto the creature's ankle and closed her hand around it; yanking it towards her. The creature started thrashing around, trying to break free, but Max refused to let go. It was slow going as she made her way to the surface with the alien in tow, fighting against the current, and Max started to feel a bit light-headed; she hadn't realized how deep they had gone. But she refused to give up and continued on, however now her lungs were starting to burn from holding her breath for so long and there were more than a few times when she had to stop in order to reorient herself.

Max looked up to the surface and saw that she was still a long ways away. Dark spots started to appear in her eyes but she continued on, wondering where the hell everyone else was. The creature had just about given up on breaking free, only struggling every now and then, but it must have sensed that Max was getting weak because it chose that moment to break free and try to escape. But Max wasn't going to let that happen. Swimming after the creature, she used the last of her strength to capture it again and then knock it unconscious. Taking hold of the alien once again, Max started back towards the surface. However, darkness started to creep over her eyesight and she stopped moving up. Feeling herself starting to sink again, Max wondered how long it would take for her to come back to life this time.

As the black took over, Max dimly felt movement near her. The last thing she was aware of was a pair of strong hands grabbing onto her, then the next thing Max knew she was gasping for air while coughing up the water she had swallowed. Blinking the water from her eyes she saw that Jack had hold of her and Evan was headed towards them. "I'm fine." She said, trying to break free of his grasp.

Jack had watched with the rest of the team as Max went into the Quay to follow their quarry and waited for her to resurface. When the minutes started to pass by without her surfacing he started to worry and then when more than enough time had gone by decided to go in after her. Jumping in and swimming down he had spotted her; seeing that she was on the verge of drowning. Quickly moving, Jack reached her just as she was losing consciousness. Grabbing onto her and the alien before it slipped out of their grasp again, he made his way to the surface. Sputtering, he hollered, "Lorne get your ass over here!"

As Lorne made his way towards Jack, Max regained consciousness and tried to escape his grasp. "No you're not." Jack replied, not letting her go and once Lorne had their captive helped Max navigate to the pier.

Evan dived into the water and swam over to Jack, taking the webbed foot from his boss' outstretched hand. Fortunately it was only a short swim back to the pier where Evan handed off the alien to Ianto and Tosh who quickly secured it. Shivering in the cool air, he made his way over to the SUV and got out the blankets.

Making his way to the trio Evan offered them to Jack and Max, "Here."

"Thanks." Jack replied as they each took one. Standing, he looked at Evan who was just as wet as he was. "Head back to SUV, we'll be along soon. I just need a few questions answered about our newest guest."

"Will do." Once inside the SUV he turned on the heat in an effort to warm up and dry out. It had been a few months since the Ripper incident and he was still working through what he had learned during that time. Evan still felt betrayed that Max had slept with his boss and friend and at times he felt like the simplist thing was to just quit Torchwood and walk away from it all, but at the same time Evan knew that he had an obligation to the SGC and Jack as well as the fact that he couldn't ignore decades of marriage. Watching them talk through the window, he wondered what his next step was.

* * *

Max stepped out into the twilight and lit up while looking out over the water; ever since coming back she had taken up smoking again and wondered if it had anything to do with what happened on Atlantis.

"That was a stupid thing to do."

Max glanced at Jack, who wore a neutral expression, while asking, "We got him didn't we?"

"Yes but-"

"Then I don't see the problem."

"You nearly died Max." Jack was getting slightly pissed off at her heroics, feeling like she was heading down a road that he had gone down before and knew that it wasn't going to end pretty. He didn't want her to push everyone who cared about her away and end up alone like him.

"Even if I had we both know that it wouldn't have lasted."

"Damn it Max, you need to talk with Lorne. Tell him everything so all this can stop. You're not going to change anything with these stupid heroics." Jack said angry at both of their thick-headedness and refusal to talk to each other. It was starting to mess with their work and if it didn't change then he'd dismiss both of them from Torchwood; agreement with the SGC be damned.

"And say what? That I was on Atlantis before I was there the first time, nearly got him killed, told him everything and then Retconned him so he'd forget?" Max answered while looking at Jack. She knew he meant well, but at the same time wished that he'd stop sticking his nose where it didn't belong. "That's going to go over well."

"Just _talk_ to him and see what happens." Jack replied before heading inside.

Max just sighed and turned back towards the water, thinking about what Jack had said. It was true that she needed to talk with Evan, but at the same time they needed to be in a room together longer than five minutes. It was frustrating, but Max didn't want to push too hard and end up pushing him away instead of fixing everything. Walking back inside, she headed down to the Hub to finish up the inventory in one of the Archive rooms and saw that Evan was still working at his desk and for a second paused, watching him stare at the screen while wondering what was going through his mind. He hadn't said anything about the incident at the pier, making himself scare the rest of the day.

Jack's words echoed in her head and Max realized that she didn't have anything to lose by walking over and talking to him. Taking a deep breath, Max moved towards Evan and as she did so realized that it would take more than just a talk to heal the rift between them. And in that moment it took to cross the floor knew that she was willing to do whatever it took.

"Want some coffee?"

Evan looked up to see Max standing beside his desk with an awkward smile on her face. After everything at the pier he had kept his distance, which wasn't out of the ordinary nowadays, but at the same time wanted to make sure that Max was okay. He still found it hard to understand her new-found ability (in all honesty, that was the only way he could think about it) and wanted to be there for her when she needed it. But at the same time Evan didn't want to give her any false hope since he was still trying to sort out his own confusion over everything. "Coffee?" he echoed, not sure what the question meant.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure how late you were going to be and thought you'd like a break. There's a little café near here that's open late and they have really good stuff. Ianto told me about it and was just wondering if you'd be interested in grabbing a cup." Max knew she was rambling, it was a nervous habit that appeared whenever she became flustered over something, and took a deep breath to gather herself.

"Actually I'm just finishing up here." Evan replied as he closed out the file that he had been working on and stood.

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't-"

"That's okay. See you tomorrow?" Evan interrupted as he picked up his jacket and put it on.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Max echoed dimly. She could feel her face heat up with embarrassment and turned around to leave. She made it five steps when she paused and turned around. "What's so different this time that you can't ignore? We've been through so much worse than this before. I know what I did was wrong, I didn't mean for it to happen. You know Jack...for what its worth I'm sorry." The words came out in a rush, she hadn't planned to say all of that; it had just come out but she meant every word of it.

Evan looked back at Max with a mixture of surprise and hurt. That had been the second time she had said she was sorry and he knew that she meant it. "I still need time." He replied simply, looking at her heartbroken face. Turning around, Evan headed towards the paving slab but paused and glanced over his shoulder. Seeing Max still standing by his desk, he locked eyes with her and said, "Rain check on the coffee though?"

"Sure." Max replied as a soft smile appeared on her face. As she watched Evan move towards the surface felt a tiny bit of hope; at least he still wanted to get coffee with her. That was a step in the right direction if nothing else.

* * *

"Hey!" Max ran down the street after the suspect and tried to keep him in sight while at the same time trying not to run into the other people that were on the sidewalk. Rounding the corner she activated her headset, "Jack, I've got him in sight!"

"_Where?_"

"By the Arcade."

"_Lorne's right by you, meet up with him and try to nab the shifter before he makes it to the cathedral; I don't want to lose him in the crowd._"

"_Easier said than done-why doesn't __**he**__ try to keep track of a shape shifter in a crowd?_" Max thought to herself as she continued to run. Heart pounding, she struggled to keep the shape shifter in sight but the crowds grew thicker the closer they got to the Metropolotan Cathedral. Rounding a corner, she slowed down as the cathedral came into view and Max realized that she had lost him. Coming to a stop in the middle of the sea of tourist groups, school children and people enjoying the nice weather, Max tried to catch sight of him while at the same time realizing that he could have changed appearance in order to blend in with the rest.

Evan appeared and spotted Max searching through the crowd. "Lost him?" he asked once he was near her.

"He's somewhere, he has to be. Check the crowd by the shops while I check the church." Max said moving towards the building.

"Be careful!" Evan shouted as she moved away from him. He was glad that things between them were finally fixed and that as a result they trusted each other even more than before, but that still didn't stop Evan from worrying about something horrible happening to her everything they had to chase down one thing or another.

Max turned to give him a smile, "Aren't I always?" As Max crossed the green she got the feeling that something wasn't right about all of this. What it was exactly she couldn't figure out, there was just a constant thought in the back of her mind that the whole thing was off.

Not finding him on the outer grounds of the church, Max moved inside. In a stark contrast to outside, it was cool and dark with no one around. Footsteps echoing as she moved further into the church, Max kept a hand on her gun and eyes open. Not finding anything in the main sanctuary, she raised a hand to her headset to find out if Evan had any luck when she caught movement out of the corner of eye. Looking up in time to see a figure move out of sight, Max headed for the stairway and reached the middle level in a few minutes.

When she arrived it was as empty as the main level. However that didn't dissuade Max and she continued moving down the hallway; rounding the corner when the shadow jumped out towards her. Max reacted instinctively, lashing out with her arm while stepping to the side and connected. The shadow fell and Max saw that it was the shape shifter. Not pausing, Max grabbed onto the shifter and dragged him to the wall where she tried to pin him while getting out the restraints. But, while Max was slightly distracted in getting the restraints the shape shifter slithered out of her grasp and ran down the hallway towards the steps, moving up the flights of stairs quickly.

Max chased after and was slowly gaining on him while firing off a warning shot that chipped the stonework above him as he rounded a corner. "Stop or next time it'll be your head!" she shouted as she continued to run after the shifter. Soon they reached the end of the stairway and Max couldn't help but inwardly smile a little, there was nowhere else for him to run.

The shape shifter ran down the corridor while turning his head and hissing; baring his sharp teeth and Max sped up trying to catch him. Suddenly he stopped and reversed direction, heading towards her instead of away. Barreling into her, the shape shifter pushed Max into the wall; she felt her hand lose its grip on her gun and heard it skitter across the floor.

Refusing to give up without a fight, Max landed a few hits and after ducking a punch, managed to break free and ran towards the stairs while hoping that Evan and Jack were on their way, if not already inside the building and could hear the struggle from below. Making it a quarter of the way down the corridor Max suddenly felt a hand grab her jacket and pull her back; the shape shifter had caught her and, grip still on her, moved towards the railing. It happened quickly, Max saw where she was headed and tried to stop but was unable to, the shape shifter tossing her over the stone railing.

As she went over, Max made a desperate grab to keep from falling. Skin tearing as she gripped the stone, she wondered how long she could hold on before her arms gave way. But she wasn't able to find out because just as she had completed the thought, Max heard the sounds of a scuffle and then slightly wild hair appeared. "What are you doing here?" she asked as he grabbed her arm to help her up and over.

The Doctor just grinned, "Couldn't let you fall now could I?"

"I suppose not." Max replied once she was standing on the stone walkway. Wincing slightly at the pain coming from her hands she continued, "But really, why now?"

"I was tracking the same thing you were." The Doctor said as he looked over where Evan and Ianto were subduing the shape shifter. "Followed him to the church and met up with the Major and Ianto outside; we got inside in time to see you disappear up the stairs."

"Well then, your timing is improving." Max commented as they made their way down the stairs, following Evan and Ianto. "And it's actually Lieutenant Colonel now." She continued after radioing Jack to meet them outside the church. "Has been for a while, actually."

"Congratulations; they finally figured out how brilliant he is!" Stepping outside, the Doctor hung back as Jack got out of the SUV and they wrestled the shape shifter into the boot. He saw how they made it seem almost effortlessly, knowing that they had done it countless times before and would do it countless times afterwards. Knowing a little of what they had all gone through after he had messed up their arrival, the Doctor could see that they were stronger and closer to one another than before as a result.

"You coming?" The question broke the Doctor out of his thoughts and he looked over to see that Max had paused with her hand on the car door.

"I'll meet you at the Plass; need to pop in on an old friend first." He replied flashing a quick smile. "Promise."

Max could see that he meant it and nodded her head, closing the door. As they drove back to the Hub, she wondered why he had come back after so much time had gone by and hoped that he had some answers to the questions she still had.

* * *

The day had been warm, but now that the sun was setting the wind from the Bay was starting to rapidly cool things down. Shivering a little, Max tugged on her jacket and scanned the crowd of people walking across the plass for the familiar face.

"Should have known that you'd keep watch in front of the TARDIS."

Max turned around at the voice and saw that it was Jack, followed by Evan, and that they were carrying cups of coffee. Taking the one offered to her, she smiled a little, "And I should have known that you'd watch with me."

Jack was about to reply when he spotted the familiar brown coat. Raising his hand to catch the Doctor's attention, he smiled a little. "Didn't think you'd show." He said as the Time Lord got closer.

"Oh you know me; right place, wrong time." The Doctor replied with his trademark grin. "Which is one of the reason's I stopped by. I'm still rattling around in the old girl and was wondering if both of you and would like to pop off for a few quick trips."

Max didn't know what to say. She wanted to immediately say yes, that she'd love to go exploring across the universe with the Doctor and Jack, but she remembered what had happened the last time she went off with the both of them and how her and Evan were finally in a good place right now; had been for a while and she didn't want to throw that away just to gallivanting across space with the Time Lord. Smiling, she shook her head while saying, "Sorry, but I'm done with space adventures; I've got everything I need right here."

The Doctor's face fell a little but it recovered quick enough that no one said anything. "Well that's good, excellent even." He said, truly glad for the both of them. "What do you say Jack? It'll be like you hardly left."

"You know that I can never turn you down, Doctor." Jack replied with a grin. "Just let me put a few things in order and then we can be off."

As Jack called Ianto to set everything up, Evan led Max to the side while asking, "Why say no?" He had been surprised at her answer, thinking that she'd say yes because Evan knew that she lived for that sort of thing. He did as well, never getting tired of chasing down aliens or stopping an artifact from destroying the planet. And even though it had been years since he had seen the Doctor, he still got that sense of excitement whenever the man appeared; wondering what was going to happen next.

And also because he knew that the Doctor might hold the answer to Max's ability to cheat death-they still had no idea if it was permanent or temporary and Evan didn't want to continually wonder if it was his last day to spend with her.

"It's like I said, all I need is right here." Max replied truthfully. If the Doctor had shown up six months ago then she would have jumped at the chance to go with him, to get away from everything and just go traveling with him. But the circumstances were different and she was fine with staring at the stars from her vantage point on Earth; not wishing she was among them. "Besides, we just got settled into the new flat and things are good for us now. I don't want to ruin that by go running off with the Doctor."

"Who says that it will? Go." Evan urged Max, knowing that she was feeling the same itch wondering what adventures and wonders lay out there that he was.

"You sure?" Max asked with a questioning look, wondering if she could just go and play among the stars.

"Yes I am." Evan replied one last time, giving her hand a quick squeeze. "Now go and have one hell of a time."

"I will." Max gave him a good-bye kiss and then headed for where the Doctor and Jack were standing, in front of the TARDIS.

Evan watched as they headed inside and just before Max disappeared she turned around and gave him a smile and a wave. He returned the wave and then the door closed, the all too familiar sound of the TARDIS soon filling his ears. Evan stood there, watching the blue box fading until it was completely gone. Looking at the water sculpture, Evan realized that he was the head of Torchwood for the time being again and wondered what was going to happen next. Turning around, he realized that he should start to look for someone new to help with everything and realized that there was a Sergeant Davidson that Torchwood had interacted with in the past and had always been helpful; once back in the Hub, he should give the Sergeant a call and see if he was open to the idea to join the team.

He had only gone a few feet when a sudden wind picked up and a wheezing sound filled his ears. Pausing, Evan turned around in time to see the blue box that had just disappeared start to solidify; not sure what to make of it, he waited for the door to open. It finally did and a red head appeared. Taken aback it took a while for his brain to connect the dots and just as she reached him managed to stammer out, "M-Max?"

Max grinned and ran a hand through her short and colored hair, "You like? Thought it was time for something different."

"It _is_ different." Evan said laughing a bit while glancing at his watch. "But how did you have time to do all of that in five minutes?"

She tilted her head to the side while asking, "Five minutes?"

"Yeah, that's how long it's been...at least for me."

Max laughed and shook her head, "Well, the Doctor's improved his timing I'll give him that-its been a few years for us. But that isn't why we came back; this is." Eyes sparkling she stretched out a hand, "Want to come?"

"Why?"

"Why not? There's room for all of us. And I know that you want to come, it was in your eyes before we left."

Evan looked at her hand, hesitating. His mind was shouting that he wanted to go, to travel among the stars again; seeing people and places that he might not be able to otherwise, but there was still one question that made him pause. Glancing up, he asked, "What about your...'ability'?"

Max shook her head, "It was temporary, I'm just regular old me now." Seeing the look of confusion appear on Evan's face she continued, "It's a long story, one that I can tell while we travel."

Evan was silent, thinking. Then he broke into a smile and took Max's hand, "I'm sure it's one hell of a tale."

"That it is. Let's go." Max replied, starting towards the TARDIS. As they neared the door, she asked, "Where do you want to go first?"

Evan looked at the worn blue wooden door and thought. So many places and times swirled around his head that he didn't know what to pick first. As they moved inside he asked, "What about World War Two?"


End file.
